


Life Lessons: Graduate Courses

by StarvingLunatic



Series: Life Lessons [2]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Acceptance, Arguing, Bonding, College, Coming Out, Dating, Domestic, Drama, Drug Use, Engagement, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, Family, Family Drama, Female Homosexuality, Friendship, Gender Dysphoria, Gender Issues, Genderqueer Character, Hanging Out, Holidays, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, Lesbian Character, Lesbian Character of Color, Lesbian Sex, Little Sisters, Living Together, Muscles, Nonbinary Character, Novel, Romance, Same-Sex Marriage, Self-Acceptance, Sexuality Crisis, Slice of Life, Snapshots, Strap-Ons, Vacation, Vaginal Fingering, Wordcount: 100.000-150.000, Wordcount: Over 100.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-06
Updated: 2014-09-15
Packaged: 2018-04-17 16:54:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 59
Words: 138,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4674287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarvingLunatic/pseuds/StarvingLunatic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lesbians/femslash. Artie and Quinn are back in this sequel to Life Lessons. Another series of snapshots follow them as they try to figure out how to be a couple and deal with love, college, family, and life in general.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Return Trip

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Welcome to another original story by this lunatic. The story and the characters are mine. Do not use them without my permission. Also, any and all characters, events, and situations found in these stories are fictional. If there are any similarities between these things and real people, events, and situations, it is purely a coincidence.
> 
> I’m sure you know there will be a sexual relationship between two women, but if you don’t know this is me warning you. There will be a sexual relationship between two women in this story.
> 
> Come say hi to me on FB: [S.L. Kassidy](https://www.facebook.com/pages/SL-Kassidy/482097488469386).
> 
> Many thanks to my beta – Rleef. 
> 
> This story is the sequel to [Life Lessons](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4575066) and picks up right where that one left off (not counting the epilogue). You should probably read [Life Lessons](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4575066) first for this to make sense. This story is going to be told in rather short chapters, just like the first one.

Life Lessons: Graduate Courses

1: Return Trip 

The pantheon waited on pins and needles, sitting anxiously in the living room and watching the door. The youngest amongst them decided to go to the very front for the best view. Diana managed to prop herself upon one of the bikes in the den in order to gaze out of the open front window. Art watched her namesake carefully while making sure not to laugh at her sisters. After all, she really wanted to do the same thing. She was just as eager as they were, maybe even more so. 

“Is she coming? Is she coming?” Juno repeated every couple of minutes.

“I don’t see her!” Diana always reported back.

The sisters were all waiting for Quinn to return. She had left several hours earlier to attend her summer session class. Artie feared her lover had been late because the girls had held her up as she was trying to leave. They feared Quinn was leaving for the summer, not just the afternoon. The level of bargaining they had done could only be seen as one of the signs of grief and Quinn had to make all sorts of promises to get out of the door at the time. Now, they needed to see the proof that Quinn was coming back. Underneath it all, Artie needed the same proof.

Honestly, part of Artie was scared that Quinn might have fled the scene after their emotional night. After all, Quinn did not have a lot of luck in love and she might have allowed doubt to gnaw at her mind on her way to school or even on the way back. She might have decided to stay at school. She was all too aware that Quinn had made arrangements to stay somewhere else during the summer, never wanting to go back to her parents’ house if it could be helped. The thought that Quinn might actually be at someone else’s house made Artie’s heart beat heavy and threatened to close her throat. 

“I think that’s her car!” Hestia, better known as Tia and the middle child in a way, shouted while pointing out of the window. Her blonde hair was flowing wildly, so Artie made a mental note to brush it or at least get one of the twins to brush it. 

“You don’t have your glasses on!” Venus pointed out.

“So, how can you tell?” Aphrodite chimed in, backing her twin. They were practically climbing over each other trying to look out a window now.

“I can see without ‘em!” Tia snapped, sticking her tongue out at the twins. The pair made faces at her in return.

“Hey, hey, hey,” Artie said, putting an end to those antics.

“She came back! Art, Quinn came back!” Diana grinned, saying what they were all thinking. She pressed her face against the window glass. Juno ran over to the window to join her, putting her face against the window as well.

Artie was able to breathe a sigh of relief. “Okay, let’s all get away from the door. You know Quinn’s not used to us yet, so she’ll probably think it’s weird that you’re all gathered and waiting for her.”

Her sisters all nodded in agreement and scrambled to make it seem like they were being normal while Quinn parked her car. The twins leaped onto the sofa while Tia slid onto the floor in front of the television. The smallest, Diana and Juno, just went to Artie, who went to answer the door. Quinn did not even have to knock as the door swung open.

“Welcome back.” Artie smiled. Her heartbeat had to rival the flutter of a hummingbird’s wings.  _That can’t be good, but as long as I don’t pass out, I don’t care_.

“Yeah, welcome back,” Juno declared while Diana just put her arms up, signaling Quinn should pick her up.

Quinn smiled and gave into the hint, picking up the toddler and hugging her tightly. “Thanks for such a warm welcome.”

“I missed’ed you,” Diana said, as guileless as ever as she returned the hug. Artie hoped that her namesake never lost the quality of saying whatever was on her mind.

“I missed all of you, too,” Quinn informed them. This was enough to send all of the sisters, except for Artie, in for the kill. The pantheon wasted no time going in for hugs of their own and expressing their happiness that Quinn returned. They all spoke at the same time. Quinn just smiled, probably having no clue what they were talking about.

Artie was pleased that Quinn just accepted all of the affection, even though she knew it was foreign to Quinn. With luck, she and her sisters would be able to change that by the end of the summer. _I definitely want to have a hand in it… Wow, that sounded dirty even in my head_. It was a good thing she had not said that aloud.

The evening went as normal for them with the usual flurry of activity and Artie was pleased that her mother, Anna, wasn’t rude to Quinn that night. Of course, Anna barely looked in Quinn’s direction, but for Artie, that was better than her mother looking at Quinn as if she were lower than something Anna might find on the bottom of her shoe.

Later that night, Quinn cuddled close to Artie as they settled in bed and Artie let out a breath she hadn’t been realizing that she had been holding. Quinn sat up, propping herself up on her elbow and she gazed down at her. Artie wasn’t sure what to make of the look, but reached up and caressed Quinn’s soft, creamy cheek. A smile settled on her face as she took in the lovely image of Quinn’s face being framed by her dark brown hair. She couldn’t believe Quinn came back.

“Are you all right?” Quinn asked in a tender, low tone. Even though shadows covered the room, Artie was able to see the concern in her umber eyes.

Artie licked her lips. “I think I am.”

Quinn offered her a small smile and leaned down, shyly kissing her lips. It was just a sweet little peck, but it helped release so much tension in Artie’s body. As Quinn pulled away, she smiled back at the enchanting, almost glowing woman above her.

“Okay, I think I needed that,” Artie admitted with a light laugh.

“You thought I’d fall out of love with you within a single afternoon?” Quinn teased.

Shaking her head, Artie laughed a little more. “I don’t know what I thought. These feelings… it’s all so new and scary.”

Quinn nodded and moved a hand to caress Artie’s bicep. “I was nervous for the whole afternoon and the drive back. I didn’t know whether you’d come to your senses while I was gone or something. I kept thinking that somehow time away would make you realize how silly it was for you to love someone like me.”

Artie frowned, knowing these words came from the fact that Quinn hadn’t had a successful relationship since her high school sweetheart. It didn’t help that he turned out to be an ass. He dumped her when they got into college with a bullshit excuse of them needing to explore things or they’d regret it later on in life. Now, she felt like an idiot for actually being scared that Quinn would figure out between here and her ride to school that she didn’t actually love Artie and just thought she did.

“Princess, you are my senses and I’d definitely like to come to you,” Artie remarked, earning a laugh from Quinn.

“You’re horrible. So horrible,” Quinn replied.

“So horrible that it got a smile out of you, which I want to always do. I think today proves we need to actually talk about this whole love thing. Apparently, we can’t just go on business as usual, which is what I had been hoping for since it means I could have your nipple in my mouth right now.”

Quinn gasped and playfully swatted Artie. “Pig.”

Artie gave her a lopsided grin. “Says the girl giving me spankings.”

“You’ll get plenty more if you keep this up,” Quinn threatened, shaking her finger in Artie’s face.

“Hey, I might grow to like it, then. But, seriously, Quinn, I think we need to talk about this. This is my first _real_ relationship and I don’t want to screw it up. I also don’t want to go half-mad from anxiety and drag my sisters with me. I know you know we were all being crazy and waiting at the windows for you.” 

There was a nod and a smile. “I thought it was cute and it made me feel wanted. Of course, it would be crazy if you did it everyday. What do we have to talk about, though? Where do we start? I mean, I know it’s nuts for me to think that in the course of four to five hours you’ll figure out I’m not worth the time and effort. That doesn’t stop me from thinking it, though.”

A long sigh escaped Artie as she nodded. She grabbed Quinn by the waist and had little problem moving the smaller woman over her. Quinn straddled her stomach and Artie let her hands rest of Quinn’s hips. They stared at each other.

“Quinn, I want you to know that my feelings have only changed for the better for you over the course of time that I’ve known you. You’ve gone from a woman that initially intrigued me to my friend to my lover, now in every sense of the word. Added to that, I haven’t lost those other things. You still intrigue me and you’re still my friend. I want things to continue on similar to this, but with our emotions known and in the open. I want to continue sharing my family and life with you. I want to grow with you and I want to know that you want those things, too.”

Quinn smiled a bit. “Wow. Yeah, I want those things, Artie. Being with you is making me a better person and you bring out sides of me that I didn’t even know were there, all for the better. I want to make you feel the way you feel. I want you to know how special you are to me. I want you to know that you’re number one in my world.”

Artie grinned and caressed Quinn’s sides, reveling in the feel of her girlfriend. “I think that’s good enough for now. I’m sure we’ll have to do a lot more talking for this to work, but that should be good for now.”

Quinn smiled more now. “You are number one in my world.” 

“Thanks for saying so, Princess. Now, we have roughly forty minutes before the person who’d probably kill me if she knew I was number one wanders down here to sleep in between us. Whatever shall we do with our time?”

Quinn chuckled again and Artie sat up to plant a passionate kiss onto Quinn’s beckoning mouth. They had a little more than a half-hour to enjoy each other before Diana came into the basement bedroom and forced her little body in between theirs to make sure they kept the nightmares away. They didn’t mind, but it made them frantic now. 

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Quinn helps Artie deal with the pantheon.


	2. Chaotic Neutral

2: Chaotic Neutral 

Quinn groaned as she felt Artie climbing over her, a sign that morning had come and there were children to prepare for school. In the back of her mind, she realized she had fallen asleep on the wrong side of the bed if Artie had to climb over her, but she couldn’t figure out why she had. Before she could open her eyes, she felt Artie’s large hand on her forehead, gently caressing her briefly, and a soft kiss to her lips. Her eyes fluttered open to see Artie smiling down at her.

“You can stay asleep. I think the Piglet is trying to adjust to your schedule,” Artie remarked while motioning to the child beside her. Diana was surprisingly knocked out, arm flung onto Quinn’s bicep. 

“No, I’ll help you,” Quinn insisted. She knew Artie had her hands full with getting her sisters ready for school. Thankfully, she only had to do it for another week.

Artie smiled. “Suit yourself.” She leaned down and kissed Quinn on the forehead.

Quinn chuckled and yawned. She glanced down at Diana, figuring she had worn herself out last night playing games with everyone else. She smiled and brushed the child’s hair out of her face because climbing out of bed. Straightening out her sleep shirt, which was Artie’s t-shirt, she stretched, reaching for the ceiling for several seconds. This was the same shirt she had donned a couple of days ago when she declared her love for Artie and then bolted from the bedroom. The feel of the shirt brought the memory back and made her smile. That was also the night Artie declared her love for Quinn. 

“I wonder how long this t-shirt’ll last,” she muttered to herself before putting her body into gear.

Upstairs was the chaos she expected. The girls were in various stages of dress, none of them ready for school, and arguing why they should be able to stay home. Apparently, the pantheon didn’t seem to think they should have to go to school since it was almost over. Anna was still awake, even though breakfast was done. She was trying to urge Juno to eat, but didn’t seem to be making much headway. Artie had a hold on Tia’s shoulder while barking at the twins. 

“Quinn, tell Mom we shouldn’t have to go to school since Artie doesn’t,” Juno said as soon as she noticed the newcomer. Anna’s gaze snapped over to her and a millisecond later her daughters’ eyes did the same.

Quinn, not yet used to small children, didn’t understand the logic. “Artie’s school is over, but yours isn’t, just like mine isn’t. I still go to school because I still have class, just like you do. Artie doesn’t. When you don’t have class any more, you don’t have to go to school.” Seemed simple enough to her, but the pantheon disagreed. 

“But, that’s not fair! How come Art doesn’t have school anymore?” Tia huffed, tearing her shoulder away from her eldest sister. She stared at Artie with pleading blue eyes, as if Artie could change the school schedule.

“Her school ends at a different time,” Quinn pointed out.

“Just like your school started at a different time,” Artie chimed in. “I go to school a couple of weeks before you do. Do you want to go to school early then?” 

“No! Who wants to go to school early?” Juno’s face twisted as if the idea truly disgusted her.

“Then maybe we need to stick to the usual schedule,” Quinn commented with a small, amused smile. 

The girls grumbled, but things quietly returned to normal. Breakfast was eaten and the sisters seemed more willing to put on the rest of their uniforms. Artie smiled at Quinn, who smiled back. Best of all, Anna didn’t give her a dirty look.  _Maybe she’s getting used to me_.

Diana came upstairs a few minutes later, rubbing her eyes and looking for breakfast. Quinn took care of her as Artie urged her other sisters to hurry while also trying to get her mother to go to bed already; Anna had worked all night as the night manager of a resort an hour’s drive away. Artie was at pro at this, though, and managed to get everything to go her way… and on time surprisingly enough. 

“Let’s watch TV before Nana comes,” Diana declared, grabbing Quinn by the hand and pulling her to the living room. Quinn didn’t have much of a choice.

When Artie returned from walking the girls to school, she joined Quinn and Diana. Not too long after that, Artie’s grandparents arrived. Her grandmother, Tori, watched Diana while Anna slept when Artie wasn’t around. 

“Nana, you don’t have to watch her. I’m here and I’ll make sure she gets some studying in,” Artie pointed out.

“Nonsense. You have a guest to entertain and it’s a gorgeous day out. Both of you, go get dressed and be young,” Tori ordered, making a shooing motion with her hands. There was a warm look in her brown eyes, though. 

“Nana,” Artie tried to object, but was silenced immediately with a glare. Quinn had learned very early to not argue with Tori. 

“No, go get dressed and show Quinn around before she has class. Now.” Tori pointed in the direction of the basement.

“Yes, Artie, be a gentleman,” her grandfather, Andre, chimed in. A small smile played on his handsome features. 

“Granddad, you’re supposed to be on my side,” Artie argued, frowning at her grandfather.

“He’s on the right side. Now, get going,” Tori urged again, shooing them away once more. 

Quinn got up and decided to follow those commands. Artie looked a bit confused for a second, but followed Quinn after a few second. Quinn chuckled as she heard her girlfriend come down the stairs.

“Why are you trying to get in trouble with your nana? You want her to swat your butt?” Quinn teased.

Artie smirked. “I’d rather you swat my butt.” 

Quinn shook her head. “You’re so bad.”

Artie didn’t deny the charges. She wrapped her arms around Quinn and pressed herself against Quinn’s back. Quinn almost moaned, but held it in until Artie began nibbling her ear. Artie had discovered this erogenous zone on Quinn’s body and never failed to exploit it.

“I believe you’re supposed to be taking me out, not to bed,” Quinn pointed out with a small groan as pleasure popped through her with each nip of Artie’s teeth.

“I know, but bed sounds fun.” 

“Even with your grandparents and baby sister upstairs?” Quinn threw cold water on the situation as Artie’s body immediately sagged against her.

“Boner killer,” Artie groaned. 

Quinn chuckled. “You keep acting like this and I’m going to think you only want to have sex with me.”

“Of course, that’s why I brought you to the one place where there’s almost a zero percent chance for us to have sex. That was brilliant of me,” Artie laughed, playfully hitting herself on the forehead with her palm. 

“Well, you are a genius. But, seriously, we can have our first date,” Quinn said, suddenly feeling shy and now willing herself not to be awkward.

Artie’s russet eyes went wide and her mouth dropped open, as if that hadn’t dawned on her. Then, she shook her head. “No, our first official date can’t be on my nana’s order and I need time to plan the date. I want us to have the perfect first date. Something that fits my princess.”

Quinn smiled, silently noting that Artie had been using that nickname more often. When she first used it, Quinn hated it, feeling mocked. Now, it made her feel loved, special.

“You know, we don’t need to have the perfect date. I just want to go out with you and spend sometime together before class.” Quinn knew there was no such thing as “the perfect first date.” She’d been on enough to know. Unfortunately, Artie had never been on a real one, so she might have unrealistic expectations. Quinn didn’t want Artie to be disappointed. 

Artie smiled. “But, you deserve something special.”

“That’s sweet. Okay, how about we go out, but not call it a date?”

There was silence for a moment before Artie grinned. “Fine, but I’m taking you out on a date before the girls are out of school and they take up all of our time.”

“Sounds good.”

They both got dressed, but it took a while since Artie couldn’t keep her hands to herself. It didn’t help matters that Quinn put on a skirt. Artie’s hands were practically plastered to her ass and thighs. 

“Get it out of your system now because I don’t do public displays,” Quinn warned her with a stern look. Artie only smirked at her, as if she thought she could change Quinn’s mind. 

-8-8-8-8-

Artie sat up that night, listening to Quinn’s light breathing as she slept. Diana was restless, probably having a wild dream that would probably wake her in the middle of night and she’d have to share it with both Artie and Quinn. Until then, Artie was occupied by happy memories of the day and musings on her first date with Quinn.

The day had been rather simple. They had walked through a nearby park that had a carousel, which they rode together. Artie would’ve felt ridiculous, but she had been on the thing many times before with her sisters. She knew Quinn had felt silly, but she made sure to act perfectly normal and that made Quinn relax.

She then gave Quinn a tour of her neighborhood and her old haunts. Quinn seemed so excited and had clung to her every word. They had a pretty good time and Artie made sure they got back in time for Quinn to leave for class. She wondered if that had actually been their perfect first date. She was tempted to wake Quinn and ask, but decided against it.

“I’ll still plan a perfect date. She deserves it and she needs to see that this is way more than sex for me.” Artie knew Quinn had said that as a joke, but she also knew people typically told the truth through jokes. She never wanted for Quinn to feel like anything less than the princess that she was.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: the first date.


	3. First Date

3: First Date

Artie had some trouble coming up with the perfect date, having never planned a date in her life. Before Quinn, she didn’t have an urge to take women out, unless it was as friends. She had gone out with friends plenty of times, gone out with Quinn plenty of times, but now was so very different. This was more than “going out.”

She wasn’t totally sure what counted for romantic now that she sat down and thought about it. For the first time in her life, she wished she had dated if only to have a point of reference. She was tempted to call Vega, as her best friend could be helpful in this area, but Vega would tease the hell out of her and her relationship wasn’t a laughing matter.

She wasn’t sure whom else to talk to. Her mother sucked hard at relationships, so she doubted Anna could give her any meaningful advice. Her sisters had better not be dating, so they shouldn’t be able to tell her anything and even if they could, it would creep her out too much to ask. There was always her friend Yvonne Ortega, Vega’s longtime girlfriend. Before she could make that call, her grandfather suddenly sat down next to her on the couch. 

“What’s on your mind, big archer?” her grandfather, Andre Brenner, inquired, giving her a long stare.

“Why do you ask?” she countered in a guarded tone.

“Because you’re sitting out here instead of sitting with Tori and Diana to see what she’s learning. Does this have anything to do with your guest?” he inquired with a knowing smile. She was well aware her family assumed she was dating Quinn when she first brought Quinn home during spring break. She didn’t bother to correct them, knowing it would fall on deaf ears. She wasn’t sure when she and Quinn would officially tell them. 

“It’s nothing,” she tried to assure him.

“I’m sure it’s not. There was a time when you talked to me about everything.” He patted her knee.

Artie sighed and chewed the corner of her lip. Once upon a time, she did talk to him about everything. He was the person she spoke about with her gender identity and the confusion that came along with that, followed by her realized attraction to females and more confusion, and her struggle with steroids to name a few of the bigger issues. Maybe just once he’d like to help her with something positive and innocent. 

She turned to look at him fully. “I need to plan the perfect date. What do you think I should do?”

He appeared thoughtful for a moment. “How about the classic dinner and a movie? Start small.”

Artie opened her mouth, set to object. Quinn deserved something bigger and better, something elegant and grand, but she didn’t say that because he might be right. She remembered early in the year when some jerk that Quinn had been dating actually walked out on her during dinner. Quinn might not have had a lot of good “classic” dates and she’d never actually gone on a date of any kind, so it might be good for both of them. Her grandfather grinned at her, as if he read her mind. 

“You and Nana think you’re so brilliant,” she snorted.

Chuckling, he shrugged. “We call them how we see them. Dress nice and have flowers for her. Maybe a nice gift, chocolate or a teddy bear.”

Artie nodded. She thought that was a bit corny, but she knew that occasionally corny and romance went hand in hand. She would follow her grandfather’s advice. Besides, he had been married for a long time, so he had to know how to keep a woman happy. 

“She’s a good girl,” Andre randomly said.

A smile settled on her face. “I know.” 

“Treat her right, Art. She makes you happy.”

She couldn’t help the smile on her face growing as she thought of Quinn. “Yes, she does.”

With that settled Artie got up to go plan the date. She’d try to surprise Quinn with the “classic” date as best she could. Quinn would know something was up once she told her that she had to get dressed, though. She wondered if this would count as telling her family about them without saying anything.

By the time she had everything set up, her sisters were already home and her mother would be waking up soon to make dinner. Her grandparents stuck around since her grandfather knew the girls would need a babysitter for the night. She hid her outfit, along with her other goodies, in the twins’ room and took a deep breath before she went to find Quinn.

Quinn was in the dining room and the sight of her with the twins caused Artie to pause. She guessed the twins had gotten back assignments that they had done through the year and were showing Quinn. She looked as excited to hear about things as they did to tell her about the work. 

Sighing, Artie approached and smiled. “Hey, guys, I’m sorry to break this up, but I need Quinn for a second.”

“But, she’s listening to our short stories,” Venus objected with a frown. 

“She’s going to help us enter them in a contest,” Aphrodite added, bouncing in her seat.

“There’s always tomorrow. Right now, I need her to go get ready.” Artie watched as all of their brows’ wrinkled.

“Get ready for what?” Quinn inquired, squinting as she probably mentally went through any tasks they might have had to do. 

“Our date,” Artie declared with a confidence she didn’t exactly feel. A part of her still felt like this was a ridiculous idea that was going to blow up in her face. Quinn would hate it, think she was cheap and unoriginal, and break up with her right then and there. _But, no pressure_.

“Our date?” Quinn echoed as if she didn’t know what that was. The twins appeared shocked. 

“Yes, date. I promised you a date. So, please, go get ready.” Artie’s voice dropped a bit. Quinn might have heard the insecurity in her voice because she nodded and headed downstairs.

“So, a date?” the twins said at the same time with teasing smirks. They were so very much the same person, even though they tried so hard to be individuals. 

“Yes, a date,” Artie said, holding her chin up high.

“Is Quinn going to wear a pretty dress like Venus?” Juno chimed in with an eager grin. She clasped her hands together and stared at Artie with dreamy eyes.

“No, bug. Venus wore that dress because of prom,” Tia told her little sister.

“But, it was a date, too, right?” Juno asked.

Artie didn’t want to travel down that road again, having barely survived it when it happened. “Look, I’m just taking Quinn out. It’s nothing to get all bent out of shape about. It’s not something you guys need to worry about. I just want to show Quinn a good time and keep her happy.” 

Those words seemed to be enough or her sisters now. Artie knew her sisters wanted Quinn to stay happy, so Quinn would stay with them. Of course, she wanted the same. Her attention turned from her sisters as she noticed her mother coming downstairs. She wondered how much of that her mother heard and how Anna might react.

She would give her mother credit as she had been treating Quinn better in the sense that there were no more dirty looks or harsh words. She hoped this change in things wouldn’t cause her mother to revert back to her less than likeable personality. It was hard to tell what her mother was thinking because Anna’s face was impassive. She almost looked bored. 

“You’re going out?” Anna asked, calmly.

“Yes,” Artie replied, staring her mother in the eye. 

“Then I shouldn’t make enough dinner for you and Quinn?” She still seemed bored. It was a little weird, but it was better than her being rude or flipping out, so Artie would take it.

“No, but Nana and Granddad are going to stick around to watch the girls, so you might want to include them.” 

Anna nodded and walked off to the kitchen. Artie breathed a sigh of relief and bolted upstairs to get ready. She hoped Quinn could handle preparing in her room because she needed the bathroom. She brushed her hair and spiked it, despite the fact that she was putting on a hat. She put on her clothes, which mimicked men’s semi-formal wear from the turn of the twentieth century. She smoothed out imaginary wrinkles and took a deep breath. She stared in to the mirror. 

“Don’t fuck this up,” Artie ordered herself, pointing to her image. She nodded, as if confirming she wouldn’t.

Flipping her bowler hat onto head, Artie retrieved the bouquet of red roses and white lilies and box of chocolates. Trotting downstairs, she was pleased to see that Quinn wasn’t there yet. Of course, that meant that her family had time to tease her.

“Somebody’s looking sharp,” her nana cooed and a low blush rose to Artie’s cheeks. 

“You better behave on your date.” Tia wagged her finger at her eldest sister.

“Or do you call it a courtship in that outfit?” Aphrodite snickered. 

“You know, an escort might be appropriate with that outfit.” Venus jumped in.

“Get all the jokes out of the way. Don’t make fun of Quinn when she comes up. She’s still getting used to this,” Artie reminded them. 

They took her up on that offer until the basement door opened. Quinn emerged and Artie knew that if she hadn’t been in love before, she would’ve fallen immediately for her now. Quinn had on a simple midnight blue sundress that fell just above her knees. The top clung to her, giving up just enough cleavage to make Artie want to touch. The skirt belled out slightly, but not much, just enough to fool her into thinking she might be able to see Quinn’s ass. For a second, Artie’s mouth went dry and her mind blank.

“Wow,” Artie managed and that helped get her brain together. “You look amazing.” 

Quinn smiled bashfully. “Thank you. You look quite dashing.”

“I do my best, my lady.” Artie bowed and tipped her hat to her date. “These are for you.” She presented Quinn with the bouquet and candy. 

Blinking, Quinn accepted as if she had just been given the crown jewels. “Oh, wow. Thank you.”

Artie felt more confident now that Quinn obviously liked her gifts. Smiling, she offered Quinn her arm. Her heart leaped when Quinn accepted.

“All right, people, everybody be good and drive safe Mom. Love you all,” Artie called as she led Quinn to the front door. 

“The same,” Quinn called out before being pulled out the door.

“I’ll drive,” Artie declared, holding out her hand for Quinn’s keys. 

“So, I’m guessing this is all a surprise?” Quinn smiled as she reached into her purse and handed over her car keys.

“As best it can be. I hope you like it.” 

Artie opened Quinn’s door for her and took the bouquet from her as she slid in. Artie put the flowers, which were wrapped in light paper, and chocolate secure in the backseat. She then hopped in the driver’s seat.

“Dinner first,” Artie announced.

“Sounds good.” 

The drive to the restaurant was quiet, but comfortable. Quinn held Artie’s hand the whole time. They smiled at each other a number of times. When they parked, Artie made sure to get Quinn’s door again. Once Quinn was out of the car, Artie put a hand on the small of her back and guided her to the inside. They were seated at the restaurant almost immediately. Artie pulled out Quinn’s seat and then sat down across from her. They smiled as they sat across from each other.

“I was expecting the knickerbockers and wool socks, not all this,” Quinn admitted. 

“This isn’t much. I used to come here a lot in high school. It’s a nice quiet place,” Artie explained.

Quinn smiled. “The fact that you used to come here is even better. This is nice.” 

“I’m glad. You deserve a special first date,” Artie replied.

“You do, too.” 

Artie smiled and reached under the table to caress Quinn’s knee for a second. “It’s special for me whenever you’re around.”

“The same with me, but thank you for this. Thank you for dressing so sharply, too.” 

Artie preened. “Anything for you, Princess.”

They ordered their food and had a night of uninterrupted conversation with laughter sprinkled in. They spoke of Quinn’s summer class and everything the girls had showed her through out the week. Quinn wanted to know about Artie’s teenage years in coming to this restaurant. It was good to know that the change in their relationship status had not changed their interactions with each other. Being outside of the safe walls of the house also did not change their interactions. 

“I didn’t know the twins wrote so many short stories. They don’t share them, like someone I know,” Artie teased before taking a bite of her salmon.

Quinn smiled and ate some of her chicken. “I told you, they’re on my laptop. You can read them anytime you want.” 

Artie playfully stuck her tongue out. “As soon as I get a break, I’ll read one.” She wanted to see what Quinn wrote, but she probably wouldn’t have a spare minute until they went back to school. 

“Have they always been into writing?”

“Who, the twins? They’ve always liked telling stories. It started when they were little and our granddad would tell them about the goddesses we were named after. They would make up their own stories about the gods and then he got them to write them down. They have a bunch of myth books.”

Quinn smiled. “I bet they were cute. I bet you were all cute. You were probably just like your namesake.” 

Artie snorted and shook her head. “I was nothing like the piglet. I was a crazy little boy.”

Quinn laughed. “And what did you do as a crazy little boy?”

Artie ate some more of her food as she thought about the things she’d done at Diana’s age. “Some of my first memories involve me climbing trees and my grandmother yelling about how I was going to fall and crack my head open.” 

“Was she ever right?” Quinn casually reached over, trying to some of Artie’s food. Artie arched an eyebrow, but Quinn only smiled at her.

Artie smiled back. “Oh, yeah. I climbed a tree once and went to a branch that was too thin. It snapped and I fell like ten feet, smacked my forehead on a rock. The way she screamed, I know my grandmother thought I died.”

“I’ll bet.” Quinn smiled, but shook her head, and then ate some more of her food. “You had to go to the hospital?”

“One of many trips, I’m afraid. Like I said, I was a crazy little boy.” 

“I’m glad your sisters aren’t crazy little boys.”

Artie nodded and they continued eating and talking. Quinn went back to talking about what Artie’s sisters showed her throughout the week. Artie listened and added in her own stories, mostly about the pantheon as well. Before they realized it, they’d eaten everything, including dessert, and Artie needed to get them moving. 

“Dinner and a movie. Classic,” Quinn grinned as they pulled up to the movie theater.

“I’m glad you approve,” Artie replied. _So, of course, Granddad was right_. Well, at least she knew who to go to for these things now.

They took seats in the back. Artie put her arm around Quinn, who leaned against her shoulder. A few minutes into the movie, Artie noticed Quinn was shivering thanks to the blaring AC. She did the chivalric thing of putting her coat around Quinn’s shoulders. Quinn smiled at her.

“This is perfect,” Quinn whispered.

Artie sat up a little straighter as pride coursed through her. She didn’t pay much attention to the movie, more focused on just feeling Quinn next to her. This really was perfect. 

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Quinn is left alone with Artie’s mom.


	4. Silent Understanding

4: Silent Understanding

Quinn still tried to figure out her place in the Brenner house. Well, more like she tried to figure out her place in her new life. Sometimes, musings hit her during a quiet moment like now, as few and as far in between they were.

The twins had softball practice. Artie had walked Tia to her soccer practice. Quinn had been with Juno and Diana until their grandparents came to pick them up. Now, Quinn was alone with her thoughts, sitting on the couch in the quiet, cluttered living room.

The household always seemed like a whirlwind of activity. She didn’t like the still and silence and not because it left her wondering. Thanks to the Brenner family, this house wasn’t suited to inertia. It seemed she wasn’t much suited to inertia anymore either.  _I should go out and walk the neighborhood, but I want to be here when the girls get back to hear how practice went_. Of course, she could hear about it when she got back, but she wanted to hear it fresh. She wanted that energy the girls all had when things were fresh. That energy breathed life into her now.

She thought about what brought her here, or who—Artie. Artie was so open about sharing her life with her. Quinn actually felt stupid for not realizing that Artie had emotions for her sooner. Artie was so good with her and to her.

Their relationship now really consisted of interacting with the pantheon and going on simple dates. They hadn’t been really intimate since arriving a month ago since Diana always wanted to sleep in between them. She didn’t mind and Artie didn’t seem to mind. They kissed and petted fully dressed for the time they did have alone at night. Sometimes, she wanted more done to her and to do more to Artie, but she reminded herself that there’d eventually be time for that.

She found herself amazed that things she should’ve been annoyed with she was actually fond of. She didn’t mind the timed showers or the fact that she had to brush her teeth with at least two other people in the small bathroom. She enjoyed watching the girls go through their chores. Sometimes, she even helped them with chores, even though Artie and the twins wanted her to know she didn’t have to. And, even though, it was still a bit creepy, she didn’t mind watching Artie parent the girls.

The best thing about the stay was that the whole family welcomed her. They treated her as if she was meant to be there. Hearing footfalls upstairs, she amended her thought.  _Most_  of the family anyway. 

She had taken to ignoring Anna as Anna ignored her. She didn’t want to think too much on Anna’s attitude. She was fairly sure she didn’t want to know as it had something to do with Anna’s odd relationship with Artie. Quinn refused to let those thoughts in because she knew where they would go. She waited as Anna descended the stairs, ready to begin dinner for when the undoubtedly ravenous pantheon returned. Anna gasped as she hit the landing.

“Sorry. I thought everyone left,” Anna said the most words that she had spoken to Quinn to date. It was probably due to shock. 

“They did. Artie and Tia had to leave early, so I watched the littles until your parents came to get them,” she explained. Being civil was easy, it was looking Anna in the face and not wondering what her problem was that was hard.

“Oh?” Anna’s face tensed, but she sighed and a smile took over face. “Thank you for that.”

Quinn was stunned by the words and her mouth dropped open slightly. She quickly closed it, not wanting to appear rude and not knowing what to say.  _Is she trying to be nice to me?_  She couldn’t believe it, but it wasn’t totally farfetched. She knew Artie sometimes spoke to Anna about how she treated Quinn. There was a long stretch of awkward silence between them. 

“You didn’t want to go with them?” Anna asked, glancing in the direction of the front door.

Shaking her head, Quinn sighed. “They don’t need me to always be around. I didn’t want to be a fifth wheel.”

Anna nodded. “But, isn’t that what you’re doing here?”

“Is it so horrible to have me around?” Quinn asked before she could stop herself. 

Anna blinked, as if she didn’t expect the question, which made two of them. Out of all of the people she needed to ask that question, Anna shouldn’t have been the first. She almost apologized.

“You’re trying to steal my children,” Anna said with a leveled expression. 

Quinn shook her head again and then put her hand on her chin. “Except I’m not. Just because I’m dating Artie doesn’t mean I’m trying to steal her from you. You’re her mom.”

Anna frowned and glared, green eyes hard as stone. “It’s not just about her. This family is all I have. All I have had. All I will ever have.” 

Quinn nodded. “Me too,” she whispered. And suddenly she understood Anna. She had been thrown away by more than her fair share of people, especially men she dated, just like Anna.

Anna blinked and then stared at her for a long moment. For a second, she thought Anna would demand an explanation. Instead, her eyes softened and a small smile settled on her face that wasn’t forced.

“You seem like such a good girl,” Anna commented in a low tone. 

Quinn smiled a little bit. “I am. According to Art, it’s the other people that suck.”

“She used to tell me the same thing whenever a guy broke my heart.”

Quinn nodded in understanding. “That’s how it started with me, too.” She noticed Anna give her a curious look. “Oh, I dated guys before Artie showed me the light.” 

Anna chuckled and rubbed her nose in thought. “Maybe I should become a lesbian as well.”

“I’m not sure that’s the answer. I think it’s just lucking out and finding the person who’ll treat you right.” Not to mention, Quinn wasn’t entirely sure she was a lesbian. She wouldn’t label herself as one just yet. 

Sighing, Anna nodded. “I suppose. Well, I need to start dinner.”

“I could help,” she offered, hoping to prolong this moment of insanity for both them.

Anna was quiet for a second. “You could.” A real smile tugged at her lips. Quinn couldn’t help smiling as well. Quinn pulled herself off of the couch and they disappeared into the kitchen together without a bad word between them. 

-8-8-8-8- 

Quinn curled in close to Artie, wanting to get her fill of the hard body before Diana came down. Artie smiled and wrapped her arms around Quinn. She purred as Artie’s fingers circled her belly button.

“Sorry you were here with Mom by yourself,” Artie said. When she came in Anna was just getting ready to leave for work, but she gathered that Quinn and Anna had been on the main floor together for a few hours. “She wasn’t rude to you, was she?”

Quinn wiggled a bit. “No, I think we needed the time. We found common ground.”

Artie propped herself up to look Quinn in the face and arched an eyebrow. “No kidding?”

Quinn smiled and reached up, combing her fingers through Artie’s messy hair. “No kidding. I actually helped her with dinner. We didn’t talk much, but she asked me if I wanted to help. She’s scared of me, but I think if we interact a little more, we might get along.” 

Artie nodded. “How do you know she’s scared of you?”

“She admitted it. She told me this is all she has, so I told her it’s all I have, too.” 

Artie paused for a second and then settled back down. “Common ground. I’m surprised that worked. I wouldn’t have thought Mom cared about what you have.”

Quinn shrugged. “I don’t know why it worked, but it did.” Pushing herself up, she locked eyes with Artie. “Will you tell me?” 

Artie’s brow wrinkled. “Tell you what?”

“About your relationship with your mom. I know you said it’s complicated, but I want to know, whatever you’re willing to share.”

Artie nodded. “Are you sure?” 

“Yeah,” she replied in a strong tone, which didn’t belie the fear inside of her. She hoped this wasn’t too bizarre. 

“Well, it is complicated, but in the sense that my relationship with my sisters is complicated. It’s a dual relationship in the sense that I’m her daughter and—”

“Her husband,” Quinn gasped. She never realized it because she never thought to look at it that way, even though it made sense because Artie always said how complicated the relationship was. It just didn’t occur to her to think of it that way. How would ever think of it that way? 

Artie grimaced. “Just as far as emotional support goes.” She said it in a rush, obviously not wanting Quinn to get the wrong idea.

“Oh, my god, Artie. That’s too much for you,” Quinn said. Artie had only just turned twenty-one. She shouldn’t have to worry about being someone’s spouse or parent or supporting household like she did. It was so much. She couldn’t understand how Artie did it, but she did it. And, she did it with a smile most of the time. 

Artie smiled a bit and she caressed Quinn’s stomach again. “Thanks for not being creeped out.”

“Honestly, I assumed it was something like that, but I wasn’t sure how to process the assumption because I’ve never heard of something like this.” 

“It is purely emotional,” Artie insisted.

“I believe you, babe,” Quinn tried to assure her. “I can see how that works around here, since you are the man of the house. You’ve been a consistent in your mother’s life, standing up for her when boyfriends have mistreated her and your sisters. You’re there to comfort her when things go wrong or seem overwhelming. I can see how things would get to that point, especially since you’ve been paying bills and helping raise your sisters.”

Artie was silent for a moment, nibbling her bottom lip. “So… you’re not going to break up with me over it?” 

Quinn scoffed and took Artie hand in hers, holding it tight. “Of course not. Like I told your mother, this is all I have, but it’s also all I want. I want to be with you and the way you take care of your family shows me that this is probably the best decision I’ve ever made.” 

Artie chuckled. “You’re good for my ego. I told my mother I can’t play the role of her spouse anymore, even if it is just for emotional support. I need to focus on you and she needs to focus on getting herself together. Truthfully, I should’ve told her that a long time ago. Letting her be as dependent on me as she is isn’t healthy for either of us and I think it makes her weaker.”

“No, you make her so much stronger than you know, Artie, just like you make me so much stronger. You keep us both from curling into a ball and crying, wondering why we’re not good enough.”

Artie smirked proudly and then shook it away. “Still, I can’t do this the way I have been in the past because she thought that would go on forever. Maybe seeing me with you will give her the kick in the pants to have a healthy relationship. She’ll find someone worth it to replace me.” 

Quinn nodded and the conversation was halted as the door opened and Diana trotted downstairs. Quinn often wondered why Diana didn’t just start off sleeping down here, but she suspected Artie always put Diana to sleep in her bed to give them some time alone to connect. She appreciated that.

Artie reached down to help Diana into the bed, even though the bed was so low Diana didn’t need any help climbing in. The little girl settled in between them as usual, letting her head settle on Quinn’s shoulder. Artie put her arm over Diana and laid her hand flat on Quinn’s stomach. The sisters fell asleep immediately, which they always did. Quinn watched them for a while, thinking about their family.

They were strange, Quinn would concede that, but she wouldn’t judge them. They loved each other, were there for each other, and took care of each other, more than she could say about her “normal” family. They’d accepted her, pulled her in, and allowed her to be a part of their madness. It was much better than being left out of so-called normalcy. 

She hoped she and Anna were able to get along a little more. She knew Artie would like it. Actually, she’d like it, too. Anna was pretty nice when she wasn’t being a bitch.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Quinn and Artie try to get some alone time before they spontaneously combust.


	5. All Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is where the story earns that M-rating, so if two women in intimate situations bothers you, you shouldn’t be here in the first place. I mean, come on, you were warned before.

5: All Night

An hour never seemed like enough time, Artie thought. She was sure she and Quinn had sessions that were less than an hour, but in her head, it wasn’t enough. It probably never was enough, but she somehow never noticed.

She needed the whole night to enjoy and pleasure Quinn properly, but there was no way she’d get that gift while at home. Diana would never sleep in her own bed the whole night while Artie was there. Her other sisters always needed her to do something during the day, so she couldn’t do anything then. Besides, if she and Quinn disappeared during the day, there’d be questions. So many questions, none of which she wanted to pretend to answer. So, an hour wasn’t enough, but she’d take it and try to make it work. 

Quinn’s sharp cry brought Artie out of her mental lament. Since she checked out mentally for a moment, she wasn’t sure if that was a good sound or a bad sound. Glancing up, she checked on Quinn’s face, wanting to make sure she wasn’t hurting her. From the panting grimace on Quinn’s face, she suspected it was a delightful sort of pain. Leaning down, she kissed Quinn’s beautiful, creamy white stomach.

“You have to be quiet, baby.” 

“Sorry,” Quinn whimpered, her hand clutching the sheets tightly. Another desperate moan escaped her, though.

“No, I’m sorry. I know this is a tease. I know you don’t like doing this when Diana can come down at any moment. I just…” Artie wanted Quinn all the time, which was why an hour would never be enough. But, she wasn’t being fair to Quinn.

Quinn wrapped her arms around Artie’s neck. “I know, baby. It’s hard being this close and being together every day and not doing anything beyond heavy petting. It’s just…” 

“I know.” Artie would never forget how Quinn had nearly jumped out of her skin a few nights after they declared their love. She had been so determined to make love to Quinn that night only to have cold water thrown on her when Diana came down way too early and Quinn almost died from embarrassment. Quinn couldn’t relax anymore when Artie did more than kiss her and lightly caress her.

“I really want to touch you,” Quinn said quietly.

Artie nodded. “In due time.”

Quinn caressed the top of Artie’s head. “I wouldn’t know what to say if one of the girls came down, though.”

“I know.” Artie leaned down to place a kiss to Quinn’s navel.

Quinn whimpered. “I don’t get it. I mean, I didn’t care when we did it in my parents’ house. You were the one that was nervous.”

Artie chuckled. “Damn nervous, but you didn’t care what they thought and you knew they wouldn’t come up to your room. You’re not as confident here and you damn sure do care about what the pantheon thinks.” 

“And you? Why are you so much more daring here?” Quinn inquired with a furrowed brow.

Artie smiled and shrugged a little before settling down next to her girlfriend. “I dunno. I guess home court advantage for one. Two, I like to think I can talk my way out of things as long as the twins don’t come down here. Three, I’m pretty sure that all of the people I can’t talk around would knock before they come down here.”

“I guess.”

“I’m sorry I keep trying this, even though I know you’re nervous. I just want to make you feel good.” She wanted to touch Quinn all night, make her feel pleasure all night, and make sure she knew she was loved in every way possible.

Quinn snuggled close to her. “You do. Intimacy doesn’t have to mean sex.”

Artie nodded, and she knew that. For some reason, that hadn’t been at the forefront of her mind. “I’m just so good at sex.”

Quinn laughed. “You are that, but I already know. But, you don’t need to sex me nightly to keep me.”

 _I wish I could, though_. “Oh, believe me, I know. I just really, really want you. Watching you while I touch you, feeling you tremble for me, it’s a favorite pastime. Maybe we could get a motel room after a date. What do you think?”

“I don’t think you have the money to waste on a motel room and can I just add… ew,” Quinn gave a shudder.

Artie laughed. This was also why an hour was never enough time. They always stopped and talked. Artie enjoyed conversing with Quinn and wished they could talk all day and night, but Artie always fell asleep as soon as Diana was snuggled against them. Running with the pantheon all day wore her out.

“You don’t want to spend time in a motel room with me?” Artie asked with a teasing smile, pulling Quinn on top of her.

Giggles escaped the smaller brunette. “A hotel room maybe, but a motel just has sleazy connotations.”

“It wouldn’t be a pay by the hour joint! But, you’re right. I don’t have the money for it right now. Bills need to be paid, soccer cleats bought, and so forth and so on,” Artie sighed. She was going to have to sit down soon and rework her budget. She had to fit Quinn into her life financially and make sure she had money to treat Quinn to things beyond dates.

“Have I told you that I actually think it’s hot that you help support your family?” Quinn leaned down and kissed the end of Artie’s nose.

Artie grinned. “It’s hot that I’m responsible and can provide for you?”

Quinn swatted her for her teasing, which she responded to with a cheeky grin. “Don’t start behaving like a caveman.”

“But, I had plans to club you over the head, even though I’ve already dragged you to my cave.” Artie took a deep breath and allowed one hand to slide under Quinn’s pajama shirt. “I really do want you, Princess. More than I’ve ever wanted anyone and it’s so damned frustrating to not be able to touch you like I want to.” She laughed.

A chocolate eyebrow arched. “What’s so funny?”

“I’m so annoyed with my little Piglet! Doesn’t she understand I need to taste you?” Artie declared.

Above her, Quinn closed her eyes briefly and she shuddered. Artie wondered if she was remembering that night, the only night Artie had been able to use her mouth. Of course, they had been interrupted when Quinn ran off, but they had declared their love for each other. It balanced out for her, but now, the taste of Quinn haunted her.

“Can you tell me how it felt?” Artie inquired.

“Incredible,” Quinn breathed, rolling her hips against Artie’s abdomen. The motion made Artie’s heart rate increase as images and memories of Quinn riding her flooded her senses.

And then their bucket of cold water arrived and Quinn rolled off of Artie. Diana wasted no time making herself at home between them. Artie sighed, making herself comfortable, but she didn’t fall asleep right away as usual. Instead, she tried to figure out how she and Quinn might have a night alone. In less than a minute she knew what had to be done. She just hoped it didn’t embarrass Quinn. 

-8-8-8-8-

“Where’s everybody going?” Quinn asked curiously as she watched the pantheon all descend the stairs with bags in their hands.

“My dad’s gonna take us for the weekend. We’re going to the water park!” Tia announced with a bright grin, throwing her fist in the air.

“What? When did that get decided?” Quinn asked, slightly confused. Over the summer, Tia had gone over to her father’s place a few times, but he had never taken all of them.

“Kevin decided kind of out of the blue,” Artie replied, trying to wrangle the crew toward the door.

“How are they going to get to his house? He doesn’t have the space in his car,” Quinn pointed out, having seen Kevin’s truck once. “Unless they’re all riding in the back.”

“Can we do that?” Aphrodite chimed in with a grin.

“No, you cannot do that! Nana and Granddad are taking you there as always and if Kevin puts anybody in the back of that truck while it’s in motion, tell him I’m running him over with the damned thing,” Artie shouted as she opened the front door. Their grandparents were standing on the front porch.

“You said a bad word, Art!” Juno quickly pointed out.

“I’m sorry, Bug. I just need it understood that no one is riding in the truck’s flatbed if the truck’s moving,” Artie explained. While it was something she’d probably do, she didn’t feel safe with her sisters doing it.

“How’s he driving them to the water park then?” Quinn asked, still confused about this whole thing.

“He’s probably renting a car right now. He knows what he’s doing. He’s had all of us at his house before and figured out how to drive us places. He knows how to handle the pantheon,” Artie replied. 

Quinn didn’t have a chance to ask any more questions as she began getting hugged by all of the girls. Artie hugged them all, too, and then managed to get them out the door. Once they were outside, Artie put her hands up.

“They’re your problem now,” she called to her grandparents.

Quinn couldn’t help laughing as the girls straightened up when Tori began barking orders to get in their SUV. Artie shook her head and closed the door. A grin spread across her face as she laid her eyes on Quinn.

“We’ve got the house to ourselves,” Artie pointed out. “Or at least we will when Mom goes to work. How awesome is that?” She sat down next to Quinn on the couch.

“Wait, when are the girls coming back?” Quinn asked with a wrinkled forehead. She didn’t know much about Kevin, and she seemed a bit worried about the girls being with him.

“Monday, I guess. Kevin somehow got the day off, which is why he wanted to take them all for the weekend. It’s cool. You don’t have to worry about them. Kevin has experience with the whole pantheon, including me. He knows what he’s doing and he knows what he can’t do with them.” Artie tried to assure her, throwing her arm around Quinn. 

“It’s just hard to believe. I mean, how can anybody handle all of you alone?”

Artie waved that off. “He’s not alone. He’s married and his wife doesn’t seem to mind us. His mom helps, too.”

“He seems like a good guy with great people in his life. What… um… what?” Quinn seemed to swallow her question. 

“You wanna know what happened between him and my mom?” Artie guessed and Quinn nodded. Artie shrugged. “My mother’s insecure. She’s used to guys being asses to her. She didn’t know how to handle someone actually being nice to her and us.”

“She cheated on him, didn’t she?”

Sighing, Artie ran her hand through her hair. “Yeah, because that’s obviously the way to pay him back because he obviously can’t really love her. How could he love her when she had three kids that weren’t his and no one else had loved her and she wasn’t slim anymore and he hadn’t tried to hit her and a million other things, but I don’t want to think about that. The pantheon’s gone for the weekend and we’re alone.” Artie grinned.

Quinn smirked. “Whatever do you have in mind?”

“Well, a simple afternoon in the nearest museum that’s not dedicated to rocks that look like people,” Artie said, wishing that was a joke. “We come back here with some junk food, watch a movie, and whatever else.” 

Quinn let loose a dreamy sigh. “Should that sound like such an amazing day?”

Artie chuckled. “Uh, yeah, because it didn’t involve five kids and you probably miss fast food.”

Quinn laughed and leaned into her. Artie was happy Quinn didn’t seem to suspect that she set this up. Thankfully, Kevin was all for taking the brood since it had been a while since he had all of them over. His family loved them and they loved his family. They usually got to interact with kids their ages if his nieces and nephews were around. 

-8-8-8-8-

Artie really wished she had a television in her bedroom. It was weird to sit there on the couch, thinking about making out and making love to Quinn. This was where the pantheon played. They all hung out in here. She couldn’t defile their communal space. So, she pulled Quinn tight against her side while they watched the movie and enjoyed the feel of Quinn cuddled against her. 

“Are you okay?” Quinn asked in a whispered tone, as if they were really at the movies. She had also insisted they turn off the lights like the movies, which Artie thought was adorable.

Artie nodded. “Yeah, I’m good.”

Quinn looked up at her, studying her. “Is the movie boring you?”

“No, no, no. It’s good.” She was following the movie anyway. “It’s not one I’d pick myself.”

A small frown settled on Quinn’s face. “I’m sorry. Do you want to watch something else?”

“No, no, this is fine. I’m happy with this.” No movie they put on right now would hold her attention.

A naughty smirk spread across Quinn’s face. “You’d rather watch me undress, wouldn’t you?” She tugged at a button on her shirt. “Tell the truth.” 

A lopsided grin took over Artie’s face. “You little minx, you know I’d rather do that to damn near anything.”

Quinn chuckled. “Then why not just say so?” 

“Because you’re enjoying our date. We’ll get to that.” She wanted Quinn to have a good time and didn’t want to give the impression that all she wanted was to have sex. Yes, she did want to have sex, but it wasn’t the only thing on her mind when she arranged for the girls to be gone for the weekend.

“Yes, we will,” Quinn seemed to purr as she slid away from Artie. Artie watched as her lover toyed with her shirt button on her way toward the basement. 

“Movie over,” Artie declared, turning the television off and running after Quinn. 

Quinn’s shirt was sliding down her milky shoulders and she was on the stairs by the time Artie caught up. She allowed Quinn to get fully at the bottom before taking off after her. Quinn’s shirt was off by then.

“God, you look so damn good,” Artie hissed, grabbing Quinn to her.

She didn’t give Quinn a chance to respond. She kissed her greedy as she filled her hands with soft, creamy skin. A loud moan echoed through the room and Artie was not sure where it originated, nor did she care.

“I need you so bad,” Artie whispered before nibbling a tempting earlobe. 

Quinn whimpered. “Me, too. I’ve missed your touch. Touch me, please.”

She didn’t have to ask Artie twice. The taller woman eased Quinn down to the bed and yanked off her own t-shirt along with her sports bra. Quinn crawled over to her and pulled her shorts down her long legs. She wasted no time wiggling out of the useless material and dived on the bed. While her lips held Quinn’s attention, her hands rid Quinn of her skirt and underwear. Quinn’s hands clutched her back, gripping her for dear life.

Artie smirked. “This is going to be a long night.” 

Quinn smiled back. “I hope so.”

Artie laughed before diving back in, kissing Quinn’s neck while removing Quinn’s bra. Artie breathed in Quinn’s wondrous scent before licking and kissing her way down the milky expanse of Quinn’s chest, feeling the rise and fall under her lips. It felt like heaven and oh, so sweet as she felt Quinn’s hands in her hair as she reached those beautiful twin treasures. She had to just look at them for a moment. 

“Are you okay?” Quinn inquired with a tremble in her voice.

Glancing up, Artie could see worry in her eyes. “I’m fine. Just admiring the view.” 

Quinn smiled a little. “Maybe I could admire the view next.”

“If you want.” Artie hoped that meant what she thought it meant. “But, for right now, it’s my turn.” Laughing, she dived back in.

Quinn giggled briefly as Artie’s breath blew across her cleavage. The laughter died down as Artie planted open mouth kisses on bountiful, lovely breasts that were dotted with freckles. Artie entertained herself by kissing each one and drawing lines between them with her tongue. Quinn mewed softly, squirming underneath her.

“I like these.” Artie began devouring the right one as her left hand occupied the other. 

Quinn moaned. “I hadn’t noticed.” She arched into Artie’s touch. 

“May I mark you now?” Artie needed proof that they were real. This was real.

Quinn smiled at her and caressed her shoulders. “Mark me all you want. I’m yours.”

Artie grinned and groaned as she took a rosy peak between her lips and played with it as if it was the sweetest candy that she had ever had. Quinn’s hands held her in place and she couldn’t help but feel the need to do more.  _God, if I could crawl inside this woman right now, I would. Wait, I can!_

Well, she would do the closest thing she could to crawling inside Quinn anyway. She couldn’t wait, so she kissed her way down Quinn’s heaving chest and delicious belly to the spot she wanted to be for so long, before she even realized it. Pausing at Quinn’s bellybutton, she took a moment to tease herself, inhaling the tantalizing aroma of her destination. She felt Quinn tense a bit, causing her to glance up.

“Don’t worry, Princess. Again, just taking things in. Relax. I’m going to make you feel so good,” she promised.

Quinn nodded and Artie figured it was best not make either of them wait any longer. Inhaling, she allowed herself to be surrounded by Quinn, drinking her in, but somehow Quinn was consuming her. She would willingly drown in Quinn if she could. Quinn released a loud, long hiss and her hands fisted in Artie’s hair. Artie loved this just as much as she enjoyed the taste of the woman she loved, the woman who loved her in return.

Running the flat of her tongue along Quinn, she purred into warm flesh. Quinn arched, pulled her closer, begging her with nonsense words and heavenly noises. Artie doubted she had ever been so pleased to be between a woman’s legs than she was now and wished there was a way for her to stay there for all eternity. But, for now, she wanted to show Quinn exactly what her body could do when treated like the precious gem it was. She tenderly and adoringly lapped at Quinn, touching every inch of her before settling where she knew she was most needed. Quinn literally howled. 

The sound made Artie crave more, so she readjusted and put Quinn’s leg on her shoulder. Her tongue made long strokes before sliding inside and Artie was sure that something inside of  _her_  burst.  _It’s like she’s part of me now or I’m part of her._ Either way, she wanted Quinn closer. She wanted more. She wanted everything. 

Removing her tongue, Artie slipped a finger inside and marveled at the feel of her lover. Even though she had done this many times over the past couple of months, there was a newness now. Something made Artie feel like she was sinking, drowning, exploding, and imploding all at the same time and it was glorious. She almost missed Quinn experiencing the same thing. And as Quinn’s body combusted around her, through her, with her, Artie couldn’t even comprehend it. Everything seemed beyond her, just out of reach, but within arm’s length somehow. 

The sound of light crying brought Artie back to her senses. Russet eyes shot up and locked eyes with Quinn. There were tears running down pale cheeks, but a small smile on her face. Artie smiled back and pushed herself up to Quinn, meeting her in a passionate, but calming kiss. Suddenly, the intensity that had surrounded the room seemed to lighten into a tranquil atmosphere as Artie gathered Quinn into her arms and Quinn wasted no time snuggling into her.

“That was beautiful,” Quinn whispered after several long seconds. 

Nodding, Artie smiled softly. “It certainly was.”

“It seemed different.” Quinn pressed her hand gently against Artie’s side and drew slow circles against her ribs with a single finger. The sensation was soothing. 

“It did.” 

“Do you think it’s because we admitted we loved each other?”

Artie shrugged. “It’s possible. Are you okay? Last time I did this, you cried, too.” The tears then had been out of frustration and fear. Artie hoped these tears were out of sheer pleasure.

“I’m more than all right. That was amazing and I’ve never felt like that before. It was… well, it was more than an orgasm, if that makes any sense.”

Artie nodded slightly. “It does to me.”

“Then that’s all that matters.” Quinn leaned over and placed a tired kiss to Artie’s shoulder, which really shouldn’t have sent hot shivers racing through her, but it did. “Art, we’re going to be alone the whole night, right?” 

“Yup.”

Quinn grinned. “Then it’s my turn now, right?”

Artie laughed, but didn’t argue with that. She doubted anyone in her right mind would argue with that. So, she just nodded and gave Quinn another kiss. 

-8-8-8-8- 

Next time: Quinn’s turn.


	6. Gaining Experience

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains sexual intimacy between two women, so if you don’t like that sort of thing, it’s odd that you’re here.

6: Gaining Experience

Quinn needed a little recovery time after receiving the full experience of Artie’s wonderfully talented mouth, but she wasn’t about to squander her first chance at returning the favor as best she could. Truthfully, she wanted to spend the whole night getting to know Artie’s body, wanting to catch up, make up for lost time when she believed she wasn’t attracted to her tan tutor. Part of her knew it wasn’t possible for her to learn all that she wanted to know in a single night, but she was willing to try. 

“All right, my turn,” Quinn declared with more confidence than she actually felt as she sat up. She would’ve loved to remain pressed against Artie’s hard body and just revel in that, but there were more important matters.  _Someday, I will just stay against her, loving her body heat and the feel of her bare skin against mine_.

Artie smiled and reached up, caressing her cheek with one hand. She doubted anyone had ever touched her with such tender care, not even her first love, whom she had sworn was the love of her life. The look in Artie’s eyes matched her gentle touch. Quinn couldn’t help turning to kiss her palm.

“Just take your time, sweetheart. Like you said, we’ve got all night and I’m not going anywhere,” Artie assured her in a low tone.

For a moment, all Quinn could do was nod. “I just … I want to make you feel so good.”

A smirk curled onto Artie’s lips. “Oh, trust me, you did.”

Quinn wasn’t sure what that meant. She didn’t dwell on it, instead trying to plot out how this would work. “Could you sit up some for me?”

“I’d do a lot of things for you,” Artie joked as she moved up, propping herself up on one of the two pillows on her bed. Pillows were hot commodities in the house. Apparently, Juno collected them to have “pillow fort” on her part of the bed that she usually shared with Diana.

“I know,” Quinn replied, even though Artie was just playing around, probably trying to make her more comfortable.

“Is this good?” Artie sat up almost regally with her arms spread out across the bed, muscles flexed.

Quinn remembered the first time she noticed them, not acknowledging her attraction to Artie, but conceding she was attracted to those sharp cuts. She wanted to run her tongue along them early on in their interactions, especially a particular vein that bulged from Artie’s arm as she worked out. Now, she had the chance. Butterflies fluttered through her stomach.

The butterflies got worse as she realized Artie was nude before her eyes. Yes, Artie was often naked when they made love, but she had often consciously made the decision to not look. Now, she wanted to take in the whole picture and frame it in her mind. Artie was thick with muscle and tanned, her body practically glowing. Her gaze fell to Artie’s breasts, which weren’t big, possibly less than a handful even for her, and eventually zeroed in on the dark, hard nipples. Shivers ran through her as she thought of them pressed against her back and how much she enjoyed the feel of them.

“Take your time. I’m not going anywhere,” Artie said again, reaching out to touch her again. She brushed her fingertips across Quinn’s cheek.

Quinn forced out a laugh. “Just taking in the view. I don’t know where to begin.” She wanted to touch everywhere all at once.  _Why wasn’t I born with more hands, like a squid?_ _“Is there something you want me to do? Or don’t want me to do?” There might be things Artie didn’t want or did and Quinn might not have any idea how to give them to her._

A small smile worked its way onto Artie’s strong face. “How about, you come up here and give me a kiss?”

That was just about the best suggestion Quinn had heard. Leaning in, she placed a soft kiss to Artie’s waiting lips and found herself grabbed around the waist. A yelp escaped her as Artie pulled her close, moving her to straddle Artie’s thighs. She pulled back as soon as she was safely anchored.

“I like you like this. I wanna touch a little while you explore,” Artie explained with an impish glint in her eyes.

“Maybe I don’t want you to touch. It could distract me,” Quinn answered as a joke, but she was being truthful. She wanted Artie to have her full attention.

“Just a little touch.” Artie put her hands on Quinn’s waist and just tapped against her with her fingertips. “Just like this or maybe your back. I love your back.” She ran her fingers up and down Quinn’s spine.

“All right, but only caressing. Nothing serious. I want to be able to focus on you.”

Artie nodded in agreement and Quinn leaned in for another, deeper kiss. The press of Artie’s lips and the feel of her tongue helped calm Quinn and after a few minutes of just luxuriating in the simple action, Quinn decided to move on. First, she placed light, soft kisses to Artie’s cheeks and chin, knowing without even looking at Artie, she was smiling. While doing that, she allowed her hands to glide over Artie’s broad shoulders and suppressed a shiver that raced through her as she touched hard muscles. _Her time at the gym pays off, even if she doesn’t go as much as she wants_.

As her hands traveled down, her lips did the same. She came to Artie’s neck and marveled over the fact that she could feel Artie’s pace racing against her lips. Running her tongue along a vein that popped up caused Artie to buck slightly and she smiled proudly to herself. It gave her the courage to continue, ignoring nervous thoughts that things were about to get more serious as she moved to uncharted territory.

She allowed her hands to make the first sweep, dragging up and down Artie’s sides before sliding onto Artie’s stomach, feeling firm, defined lines of her abdomen. They both shuddered.  _God, I don’t think I ever really considered how in shape she is or how hot it is_. She could feel her body getting hotter and all she wanted to do was map out more of Artie, so her lips began to descend as well.

When she made it to Artie’s collarbones, she kissed one and then the other as they marked her gateway into new land. Artie’s breasts were the next stop and she wasn’t entirely sure how to proceed.  _How do you kiss boobs? Artie does it all the time, like there’s a science to it. I want to be as well versed_.

But, did Artie want her breasts kissed? Quinn remembered how for most of her life, Artie thought of herself as a boy. Hell, still considered herself more male than female. Did Artie pay attention to her own breasts?

“Princess, please,” Artie breathed. Well, that answered that question.

“I like it when you call me that,” Quinn admitted, placing a wet kiss just above Artie’s left breast.

Artie managed to lopsided grin. “I knew you would, Princess.” She ran her hand up and down Quinn’s spine. “You are a princess to me and I’m going to do my best to make sure you know it every moment of every day.”

Quinn took a deep breath. How could she not continue after such a declaration? There really wasn’t anything to be worried about as kissing Artie’s breasts were the same as kissing the rest of her, delightful and pleasurable. Hearing moans from Artie, soft, tiny, breathless moans that made things all the more sweet as she touched every inch of the fleshy swell with adoring lips.  _I’m making her make those sounds. God, that’s me giving her such pleasure_. When she made it to the center, she felt Artie’s hand in her hair, gently going through her flowing locks. It was like Artie knew each gesture and touch boosted her resolve to touch every inch of the taller woman.

She attached herself to Artie’s nipple. A loud, long groan echoed through the room and Artie fingers massaged her scalp in quiet encouragement. Quinn exhaled through her nose before inhaling as much of Artie’s small hill as possible. She would’ve stayed there forever if only she didn’t feel Artie’s petting change, which she took as a sign to move to the other breast. Her hand caressed the one her mouth abandoned and her other hand just moved across all of Artie’s torso, loving each jump and twitch of hard muscle.

Quinn wasn’t sure how long she remained there, just appreciating Artie’s breasts and the sounds coming from her lover. She wanted to taste all of Artie, including her passion. Dipping her head, she began kissing a path down Artie’s toned stomach.

“Quinn, sweetheart,” Artie paused to let out a cute whimper. “You don’t have to…”

“I know, but I want to try,” Quinn replied, glancing up at her lover. “You don’t have to be so protective of me.”

Artie smiled a little. “Yeah, I do. It’s kinda my job now, actually. I just want you to know that you don’t have to dive into the deep end on your first go. You can work your way up to it. I actually don’t usually…” she trailed off.

“You don’t usually, what? You don’t usually let girls go down on you?” Quinn asked, even though this was definitely not the ideal subject while having sex.

“No… Well, yes, kinda. I mean, most of the time…” Artie sighed. “I think we should talk about this some other time. I just don’t want you to think you have to do it because I did it.”

Quinn gave her a small smile. “I’m curious and I want to try to make you feel a fraction of what I felt and feel. I know it won’t be perfect the first time, but I do have to have a first time eventually.”

Artie conceded that with a small shrug and leaned back, as if waiting for Quinn to get on with it. Quinn continued on and seemed quite sure of herself until she got just below Artie’s bellybutton. She could smell Artie and while the smell wasn’t unpleasant, it wasn’t something that she was used to. For a moment, she thought this would be a terror and she’d be awful and Artie wouldn’t let her down here again, but then she felt those gentle fingers in her hair.

“Only if you think you’re ready,” Artie said in a low, tender tone.

Quinn nodded.  _While I’ve never done this before, I’ve done something similar and it’s not like I don’t have a vague idea what it tastes like. I mean, I know what I taste like_. She leaned in for her first taste of Artie, running her tongue flat from bottom to top. Artie must not have been expecting her to follow through because she jumped as soon as Quinn’s mouth touched her. Quinn pulled away and couldn’t help laughing.

“Hey, you have to stay still for this to work,” Quinn playfully chided her partner.

Artie gave her a sideways grin. “I dunno. You did a lot of wiggling.”

Quinn only made a face before slowly, she returned to her task, focusing on this new flavor being introduced to her. It wasn’t what she expected, but it wasn’t the worst thing she experienced. She enjoyed it in the sense that she enjoyed everything about Artie. It was surprisingly subtle, which wasn’t a word she ever thought she’d use to describe any part of Artie.

She took long, slow licks, moving all around Artie, whose moaning began to sound more and more frustrated as time pressed on. Quinn wanted to ask what she was doing wrong, what she needed to change, but she didn’t want to come across as incompetent. When Artie spread her legs wider and began moving against her face, Quinn knew she was going to need some guidance.

“Tell me what to do,” Quinn whispered.

“Can I show you?” Artie requested in a strained voice.

Quinn thought it was kind of cute that Artie asked and she nodded. She’d get to see exactly how Artie liked things and then she’d be able to do it later… and by later, she meant in a few minutes. She watched Artie intently, not wanting to miss a thing and quite honestly, had she blinked, she probably would’ve missed it. Artie’s fingers moved frantically against her clit and she fell off the edge in about thirty seconds. Her whole body flushed and Quinn found she liked the red hue on Artie’s olive-toned skin.

“Was I teasing you?” Quinn wondered aloud.

Panting, Artie just gave her an amused smile and massaged her scalp once more. Quinn couldn’t help smiling as she rested her chin against Artie’s thick thigh and watched her calm down. Once Artie was relatively composed, she motioned for Quinn to come back up They exchanged a deep kiss before Quinn settled her body against Artie’s and wished she could melt into Artie. 

“Should simple contact feel like heaven?” Quinn wondered aloud, wrapping her arms around Artie and running her fingers up and down Artie’s hot sides.

Artie smiled, her hands on Quinn’s back. “Does it really matter?”

Quinn smiled. “No, it doesn’t, but being pressed against you like this feels so good, so right. I’m perfectly happy in this moment.”

“Me, too. I like this.” Artie stroked her back with one hand while the other settled on her bicep. 

“I like this, too, but I like the other things before this.”

“Well, I definitely like those, too. After all, I told you, I’m good at sex.”

Quinn laughed. “Yes, you are that. I have to catch up.”

“You’re not too bad and we’ll grow together and be awesome together,” Artie remarked with a chuckle.

Quinn smiled and curled in closer to Artie’s warm, firm body. Artie held her tightly, silently assuring her that she’d never let go. Quinn returned the gesture, hugging Artie as tightly as she could, wanting to convey the same message. Artie leaned down and kissed the top of her head.

“So, when are we going to start trying to be awesome again?” Quinn inquired.

Artie practically guffawed. “Lemme bask in the glory that is us for a couple of minutes and then I’m all yours again.” That was music to Quinn’s ears. 

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Quinn and Artie go back to school.


	7. Summer’s Over

7: Summer’s Over

The summer was coming to a close and the college students were packing to return to campus. The pantheon was not happy, even though they helped pack the car. It was reluctant help, though, full of whining, pouting, and clinging. They didn’t let Artie and Quinn get into the car after that. They were trapped on the front lawn. The older three clung to Artie while Quinn had to hold up the youngest pair. Anna and her parents watched from the doorway, waiting to pull the kids away.

“Why do you have to leave? School doesn’t start yet,” Juno whined, little fingers dug into Quinn like claws.

Quinn laughed a little. These kids were so precious. “It does for us. We have to go back to get our rooms ready before classes start.” 

Juno pouted and Quinn rubbed her back. Thankfully, Anna rescued her, taking Juno into her arms. Juno wrapped her arms around Anna’s neck. Quinn patted Juno on the back and smiled a silent thanks to Anna. Anna actually smiled back at her.

“Mommy, make them stay,” Juno whined.

“They can’t. Nana would smack their butts if they stayed,” Anna said. 

“Yes, I would,” Tori remarked as she and Andre joined the group.

The girls all gasped, as being disciplined by their grandmother was the worst thing _ever_. From that moment on goodbyes were said under more control, but it still took Quinn and Artie almost an hour to pull away in Quinn’s car. Artie drove, as she was more comfortable driving. 

“So…” Artie said.

“No, don’t start, sweetheart. I told you, I’m moving into my dorm with Morgan and that’s that,” Quinn stated. She didn’t understand why Artie wanted to keep talking about this when it was already decided. It wasn’t going to change.

Artie frowned a bit. “Is there a reason why you don’t want to live with me? We’ve been sharing the same space for three months and it’s great. Why don’t we keep doing that?” 

So, they were having this conversation again. “Artie, it’s not that I don’t want to live with you. I’ve enjoyed these last three months, you know that, but I already agreed to dorm with Morgan. She understands that I’m not going to be there as often as I was before because I am going to spend as much time with you as possible, but she’s not ready for a new roommate. Honestly, I think we need some place that allows us to have time apart.”

Artie frowned even more now. “Why would we need that? I want to be around you all the time.” 

Quinn smiled softly and patted Artie’s thigh. “I know, baby, but that’s because this is new to you. Eventually, you’re going to want some time without me hanging around you. I know you don’t think you value your space, but you will.”

Shaking her head, Artie disagreed, “I don’t think so.” 

“Just wait and see. If we find we don’t like this, I’ll share a dorm with you next term and Morgan will have had time to find someone else she wants to room with or figure that she’ll get a single. It doesn’t have to be an issue,” Quinn explained calmly. They had spoke on this several times recently, especially since Artie made it clear that she wanted Quinn to stay in her room.

“Then why don’t you want to stay with me?”

“It’s not that I don’t want to stay with you. We both know I’m going to be in your room most of the time and it’s already been proven that I sleep better next to you. Can you just try it out before you call it a bad idea?”

Artie was now scowling. “Fine, I’ll try it, but I won’t like it.”

Quinn smiled and moved to hold Artie’s hand, giving it a squeeze. Artie’s face twitched as she tried to hold a smile at bay and barely managed to do so. Quinn hoped Artie would eventually see that this wasn’t a bad thing, especially since Quinn believed she’d eventually need space.

-8-8-8-8- 

“Hey, roomie!” Morgan grinned and snatched Quinn into a tight hug the second Quinn came through their dorm room door.

Artie scowled behind the box she carried until she saw the joy on Morgan’s face. It was in that moment Artie realized Quinn was trying to be there for her best friend, who loved Quinn. Artie didn’t want to come between them and if that meant Quinn would stay with Morgan every few days, she supposed she could live with that. Besides, it probably wasn’t healthy to want to be around Quinn twenty-four/seven. Not to mention, it would probably eventually annoy Quinn, who was used to being independent.  _I guess this is the best possible situation. I’ll see what Quinn does_.

“I’m gonna go get the rest of your stuff, Quinn, and then maybe go set up my own room. Or do you need me for anything?” Artie asked. She managed to hold in a sigh because, even though this was the right thing, she still didn’t like it.

Quinn turned to her with a confused look on her face. “But, I thought I could help you with your room.” 

A smile managed to settle on her tense face. “Nah, you don’t have to do that. Stay here and catch up with Morgan. You haven’t seen each other for the whole summer and I know you didn’t get to talk much. Catch up. It’s fine,” she tried to assure her girlfriend.

Quinn’s gaze narrowed suspiciously. “Is it?”

“I promise, Princess,” Artie replied, leaning down to give her a quick kiss. She also caressed her cheek, hoping that in three months they had built up some sort of tactical telepathy. 

Quinn nodded against Artie’s hand and kissed the side of her palm. This action sent a shot through her and she grinned. Artie watched as the two friends sat down on some of Morgan’s boxes and she went off to get the rest of Quinn’s things. When she was done, she told Quinn to call her if Quinn planned to come to her dorm because she’d walk back over for her.

“Looks like you got yourself a good one there,” Artie heard Morgan say as she left the room. This made her smile.

-8-8-8-8- 

“So, I guess things are going good with tall, dark, and muscular?” Morgan commented with a smirk as she began unpacking one of the many boxes in their room. They hadn’t called sides of the room, just automatically taking the same ones they had last term. The room was similar to the one from last semester, but slightly larger.

“Going fairly well,” Quinn admitted with no small amount of smugness as she pulled out her bedding from one box.

“So, is dating her any different from dating a boy?” Morgan inquired curiously. They hadn’t spoken much over the summer, but they talked enough for Morgan to know that Artie and Quinn had confessed their love to each other. 

“In every single way.”

Morgan chuckled. “I guess just the fact that she respects you, values your opinion, and hasn’t made any stupid suggestions does put her at the head of your pack, huh?”

Quinn nodded and then sat down on her bare bed, wanting to give Morgan her full attention suddenly. She needed Morgan to understand just how great things were with Artie. “Unfortunately, I didn’t have the best track record in guys, but I still think she’d be best person I’ve been with, even if I had regular boyfriends.” 

Morgan looked a little skeptical, but didn’t go there. She sat down next to Quinn and stared at her with a smile. “None of that matters. What is important: are you happy?”

Quinn couldn’t hold back a grin. “Very much so.” 

Nodding, Morgan’s smile widened. “Do you think you’re a lesbian now? Maybe that’s why none of your relationships with guys worked out?”

Quinn shrugged. “Honestly, I never thought of that.” She didn’t go into detail, but she hadn’t given any thought concerning being a lesbian or if that was why she had such rotten luck with men. She had been in her happy little bubble of Artie’s basement room.

“I guess that’s not really important. So, tell me about your summer. What was it like living with her? Why aren’t you living with her now?” Morgan asked, squirming with enthusiasm. Playfully, she hit Quinn’s knee.

A small smile settled on Quinn’s face. “Besides the fact that you kept asking if I was going to be your roommate again? Don’t pretend that wasn’t in every single conversation we had over the summer. But, I think I might need some place to come every now and then to get away from Artie. I mean, I’m not assuming things are going to go bad, but she’s used to someone being around all the time. I’m not.” It hadn’t been unbearable over the summer, but she’d be lying if she said there weren’t times when she just wanted to get away from everyone and have a quiet moment to herself every once in a while.

Morgan nodded. “You think you’ll get sick of being around her?”

“No, but I think I might need space. I also want to hang out with you every now and then. You’re my best friend.” Quinn nudged Morgan with her shoulder and they shared a laugh. 

“All I ask is that you don’t forget me in your whirlwind lesbian romance.” Morgan put her arm around Quinn’s shoulder and pulled her close in a one-arm hug.

Quinn smiled. “I promise I won’t. After all, none of this would’ve even happened without you.”

Morgan couldn’t help laughing and she hit Quinn on the knee again. “I told you she was just what you needed. Who would’ve thought tutoring would turn into this.” 

Quinn laughed and shook her head. Never in her wildest dreams would she have considered less than a year after going to Artie for tutoring, they would be in a loving relationship. But, life was funny that way.

Quinn waved the whole topic off. “Enough about me. How was your summer?”

The pair spoke for hours before they realized they were hungry. They went to the cafeteria and ate before Quinn headed over to help Artie set up her room. She also had some dinner for Artie, willing to bet her right arm that the older woman hadn’t eaten since they left her home. 

“Artie?” she called while knocking on the door.

“Quinn, I told you to call me. I don’t want you walking around alone at night,” Artie said, as she opened the door.

Stepping inside, Quinn gave Artie a light kiss. “It’s sweet that you’re so protective, but the campus is pretty safe and I wasn’t going anywhere too far. I’m sure safety is one of the reasons why all of the dorm buildings are in the same general area.”

Artie didn’t seem convinced, wrapping her arm around Quinn’s waist and pulling her close. “Please, just call me. I’d rather be safe than sorry. Please.” 

Quinn couldn’t help but feel bad. “Sweetheart, I didn’t mean to worry you. I’m used to just walking around on my own. Can you just give me some time to adjust?” And this was one of the other reasons why she wanted her own dorm. She needed to ease into things instead of diving right in. She felt like she’d worry herself or Artie if she moved too quickly.

The taller woman nodded. “Yeah, of course. I need some time to adjust, too. I don’t want to smother you, Quinn. I just want you to know I care and I want to be around you.”

Quinn put her arms around Artie. “I know, Artie, I know. I think we’ll find our rhythm as we go along. We’ll be fine. Now, I brought you food and I want to help you fix up your room.”

Artie pulled back to show Quinn her massive smile. For the first time since her first boyfriend, Quinn felt appreciated by her partner. She pulled Artie back in for a proper hug. 

“Now, you eat while I see what you’ve done with this room,” Quinn commented, handing Artie the bag holding her food.

“Thank you, baby.” Artie leaned down and kissed her. She returned the kiss, but pulled away to encourage Artie to eat. 

Artie smiled and threw herself onto the bed while Quinn looked around to see what Artie had managed to unpack. Unsurprisingly, the iPod and dock were already on the desk. The green sheets Artie loved so much and matching comforter were on the bed. Artie used those same linens on her bed back home, claiming they were the most comfortable she had. Her ancient computer was on the desk, more than likely just taking up space. It had been unreliable at best last term, so she wondered if it would be able to make through another year. There were a few bags piled next to the wardrobe, so she knew Artie hadn’t put her clothes away. She began hanging things up, even though they’d need to be ironed.

“I’ll iron these for you tomorrow,” Quinn said as she placed a very wrinkled shirt on a hanger. She noticed that the entire pantheon, Artie included, seemed to ball up all of their clothes before putting them in the closet if the wrinkles told the story. She figured the younger girls picked up the habit from Artie, but she wondered whom Artie got the habit from. 

“You don’t have to. I can do it,” Artie replied before shoving some rice in her mouth. Quinn brought her grilled chicken, rice, and mixed vegetables for dinner. 

“You can, but you’ll use that time to do something else. Let me help.”

Artie gave her an impish grin. “Yes, dear.” 

Quinn glanced at her. “Don’t be smart.”

“I can’t help it. I was born that way,” Artie remarked. “Did you get much done in your room?”

“Nope. Morgan and I talked the whole time I was there. I pulled one thing out of a box and didn’t do anything else. While we’re on the subject of my room, are you still upset over that? Is that why you left so early?” Quinn pressed. 

“No, I left early because I realized you do need space. You need to hang out with Morgan. She needs you there, just like you said. She looked so happy to see you. I felt like an ass for even thinking about you staying here with me all the time. She deserves your time, too. You deserve to have her in your life. Like you said, we’ll figure this out as we go along and we’ll find our path.” She went back to eating.

Quinn smiled. “Thank you for being so understanding.” 

“No problem. You sleeping here tonight?”

“Well, considering you have sheets on your bed and I don’t,” Quinn smirked.

“You should know by now, you’re always welcomed in my bed, no excuses needed.” Artie wiggled her eyebrows. Quinn laughed, pleased they managed to settle the issue with just a simple discussion. She hoped things would always work out like this for them. 

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Quinn gets Artie a gift.


	8. Gift Set

8: Gift Set

Classes had only just begun and Quinn could see Artie was in trouble. She had already gotten several requests for papers, as Artie’s side job involved writing papers for other people. She turned a good profit and it all went back home to help her mother with bills and make sure her sisters had anything they required, and a few little things they wanted to make them happy. So, what was the trouble? Artie’s computer. It was ancient. A hand-me-down to her from her grandfather and was on its last legs.

“Come on, you can’t be frozen again! I just want to check my email!” Artie growled, smacking the bulky top of the desktop. 

“Baby, I don’t think that’s going to work. It’s really time for a new computer,” Quinn pointed out. She closed up a book she was reading and placed it neatly on the desk, not that placing anything neatly mattered. Artie had all types of things piled on the desk already, even though school just started.

Russet eyes rolled. “I’d like to, but someone’s in pre-k this year and we need every cent to pay that tuition.” 

Quinn nodded, not wanting to imagine the cost of sending five children to private school. Over the summer, it was agreed that the twins would go to public school for high school, like Artie had done. There were several good high schools in their area, so the family had no problem with them finally getting a taste of public school. Until then, though, the purse strings were going to be pulled tight to make sure they didn’t fall behind in any bills.

“It’s lucky for us that car is paid off,” Artie grumbled while restarting her computer. 

Quinn nodded, shouldering her messenger bag. “That is good. Well, I’ve got class. I’m going to meet up with Morgan afterward.”

Artie nodded. “You coming back or you going to your room?”

“I’ll call you and let you know. I want to see what Morgan wants to do.” She didn’t want Morgan to feel neglected, even though they were still roommates. She also didn’t want Artie to suspect she had something up her sleeve. 

Artie nodded, but focused on her computer, which was taking quite a long time to reboot. Quinn gave her lover a kiss before trotting off to class. It was late in the afternoon when she met up with Morgan. Linking arms with Morgan, she grinned and giggled.

“What’s up?” Morgan inquired.

“Come with me to the mall. I need to get something,” Quinn replied.

Morgan smiled. “Well, I don’t usually turn down a chance to go to the mall. What are we shopping for?”

“I need to get Artie a new computer or she’s going to drive herself crazy with that dinosaur she’s been using. I’ve never seen a computer go blue screen so many times in one morning like it did yesterday and she’s not even using it really. She damn near beat it together this morning just wanting to check her mail. When we really get into school, she’s going to be in trouble.”

“What a good little girlfriend you are,” Morgan teased, going so far as to pat Quinn on the head. Her blue eyes practically sparkled from her amusement. 

Quinn snickered while swatting her friend away. “Shut up.”

“You must really be in love. You’ve never talked about buying something for a boyfriend,” Morgan commented and Quinn arched an eyebrow, questioning her wording. Morgan rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean.”

Quinn nodded. Hell, Artie wouldn’t care being referred to as a boyfriend anyway. “She needs this and I want to be able to give her what she needs.” 

“Wow, can I be your girlfriend?” Morgan joked, clasping her hands together.

Quinn rolled her eyes. “I’m not starting a harem just yet.” 

Morgan scoffed. “You only say that because you don’t want to admit you’re not attracted to me, but we all now that’s a lie.”

Quinn just rolled her eyes again. They got into her car and drove to the mall. The mall was rather impressive for the small town, but then again, over half the population of the place were college students. Being indulgent and spending money wastefully was part of being a college kid, or at least some of them thought. The mall housed many hangouts for young adults, like the movie theater, restaurants, arcades, a bowling alley, and if she recalled correctly, there were go-carts somewhere in the massive structure. People from nearby towns also used the mall.

“What kind of computer do you want to get?” Morgan inquired as they wandered the crowded complex. 

Quinn shrugged. “A laptop. Maybe something small enough for her to use in class, in case she wants to use it for notes.”

“I do that.” 

“Me, too,” Quinn said. “But, Artie’s kind of old-fashion.” She thought about the notebooks piled up on Artie’s desk, along with an agenda with her class schedules written hastily inside and her folders already stuffed with handouts because she never downloaded anything professors emailed her, preferring to print them out at the computer lab. One of the reasons she was probably so messy and disorganized was because of all the paper she had.

Morgan’s brow wrinkled and she studied Quinn, as if trying to decode her words. “Old fashion?” 

Quinn chuckled. “She’s a bit of a luddite.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Nope. I’ve had to walk her through a lot of things when she uses my computer and, God forbid, she has to use my cell phone. She could barely figure out how to make a call on the damn thing,” Quinn replied with another laugh.

Morgan arched an eyebrow, chuckling as well. “Really? I never would’ve thought that about her, but then again, I don’t usually think of that for people our age. How is that even possible? I mean, she’s supposed to be super smart and she can’t work a computer?”

“She’s not good with new technology, but it’s probably because she doesn’t have any new technology. Even her iPod is like the first version of the thing. I’m guessing she takes pretty good care of her stuff for it to last so long, but it’s only an electronic device. It’s not designed to last an entire human lifespan.” 

Morgan laughed. “That’s true. Is she going to be cool with this, though?”

The question confused Quinn. “Why wouldn’t she?”

“Sometimes, people don’t like when someone buys them an expensive gift, even a significant other. My ex-boyfriend used to hate whenever I bought him anything, no matter how badly he needed it. Of course, we fought like cats and dogs most of the time,” Morgan laughed.

Quinn scoffed because that was an understatement if Morgan was talking about the ex-boyfriend Quinn was thinking of. “Yeah, I think that was more the reason why he always got pissed when you bought him stuff.” 

Giggling, Morgan shrugged. “Probably. We had great makeup sex, though.”

Rolling her eyes, Quinn shook her head. “I know. You always liked telling me about it.” 

“I was trying to inspire you!”

Quinn offered her friend a smirk and rolled her eyes. “I’m sure that was the case.”

“Whatever. Do you have money to blow like this? I mean, I know you’re not worrying about tuition or anything like that, but do you have spending money?” 

Sighing, Quinn didn’t really want to think about this, let alone talk about it. “Tuition’s not a sure thing anymore. I think my parents are slowly disowning me after I showed up with Artie to a party. They paid my tuition for this semester, but haven’t sent me any money to live on or made a call or anything. They’re waiting and expecting me to come out more than likely and then they’ll cut me off completely.” They hadn’t even spoken to her about it, but no money was forthcoming.

Morgan shook her head and sighed. “That sucks.” She gave Quinn a curious sidelong glance. “Are you going to come out?”

Quinn nodded. “Eventually, in the sense that I will tell them I’m with Artie. I spoke with my grandparents and they’re willing to help me pay tuition. I have to speak to them more. I think they know about Artie because they ask if I’m dating whenever we talk, but I didn’t say anything. I don’t know what to say and…” And, she didn’t want to lose any more family, especially members that actually loved her.

Morgan offered her a soft smile. “I get it. Artie’s a bit hard to explain. Your grandparents didn’t ask why your parents were slowly cutting you off?”

“Like I said, I think they know, but they didn’t bring it up beyond questioning me about dating and I haven’t said anything. We all just kind of acted like everything was fine. They sent me my usual money to make sure I’m fine and asked if I needed anything.” Of course, this led her to think maybe her grandparents didn’t know, but she couldn’t imagine her parents not complaining to them about how she was ruining her life and everyone else’s lives.

Morgan scratched her head. “And you’re using this money to buy Artie a laptop? Shouldn’t you save this money in case they’re not as cool with this as you think? I mean, what if they don’t know and you tell them and they’re not cool with it? What if this is the last money they send you?”

Quinn shook her head. “I can’t think like that. I can’t think that these people, who have been with me through all kinds of things, ups and downs, would leave me now. I mean, my parents, I’m not shocked by. I was always the odd man out there, but my grandparents … well, all of them loved the baby of the group.”

Morgan chuckled and put her arm around Quinn. “You’re just too damned adorable,” she teased and pinched Quinn’s pale cheek, which of course left behind a red mark.

Quinn laughed as they set out to explore the mall. They went into a few stores before deciding on the best laptop for Artie. Thankfully, it wasn’t too expensive. There was still a back to school sale going on. Quinn would have a little money left over and with luck, her grandparents would send more in a couple of months. They always liked the make sure she had spending money, as they called it. She honestly believed they just loved spoiling the baby. 

With the laptop out of the way, the friends did some leisure shopping and had dinner together. Of course, she ordered something for Artie in a to-go container. Quinn drove Morgan back to their dorm before going to Artie’s room.

“Hey, baby, open up. I come bearing gifts,” Quinn said, knocking. 

The door burst open and Artie yanked her inside. She felt the door on her back and Artie’s mouth on her own. She couldn’t help moaning and wished her hands were free to run them through Artie’s hair. She stepped away when she felt Artie’s hands on her bare stomach.

“No, no, no. No dessert until you eat your dinner,” Quinn playfully chided Artie as she held up dinner. 

“Aw, can’t I skip it? I ate already,” Artie replied, forcing out a pout.

Quinn’s gaze narrowed. “What did you eat? That bag of gummi bears that was on the desk earlier?”

Artie laughed. “While I did eat that, I had a sandwich for dinner. But, I could always go for a real meal. Get my energy up before I get to dessert.” 

Shaking her head, Quinn smiled. “Well, before that, I have a gift for you, too.”

“Dinner and a gift? Looks like you went to the mall. Is this gift super-sexy?” Artie wiggled her eyebrows and smirked. 

Quinn laughed. “I doubt it, but it could be.”

Artie just grinned. While she ate dinner, Quinn began picking up clothing off of the floor. She never noticed it before, but Artie seemed to dump her clothing everywhere except the hamper. Once that was done, she settled in to do some reading. Artie made it known when she was done. She crawled on the bed, raining down kisses on Quinn’s neck. 

“Wait, wait, wait, none of that yet. You need to open your gift,” Quinn insisted, moving away from Artie’s adoring lips.

Artie let loose a disappointed growl. “Never in my life have I been so upset to have to open a present.” 

Quinn laughed as she pulled up the bag with the laptop in it. She hadn’t wrapped it or anything, so Artie knew what it was immediately once the bag was open. She looked at Quinn with wide eyes, causing her heartbeat to speed up because she feared Artie might not like that she bought her something so expensive.

“Oh, my god, baby. You got me a laptop? This is too much. Didn’t you say your parents were trying to cut you off?” Artie said.

“It’s all right. My parents have been paying my tuition, but my grandparents have always sent me money. My grandparents have been spoiling me since before I could form memories,” Quinn remarked with an amused smile. “Hell, they set up a bank account for me while I was still in high school and my papa, that’s what I call my dad’s father, he made sure I understood how to balance the account and always makes sure I’m responsible with my money. As long as I show him I’m doing a good job, I’m pretty sure he’s okay with continuing to give me money.” 

Artie chuckled. “I know all about indulgent grandparents.”

Quinn grinned. “Yeah, for me, it’s both sets.” 

Reaching over, Artie caressed Quinn’s cheek. “They’ve got good taste. Will they know you got me a laptop?”

“Even if they do find out, which they probably will because I’ll probably tell them, they won’t mind, so open the laptop and let’s set it up.”

Another laugh escaped Artie and thankfully she didn’t ask any more questions, well, anymore grandparent questions. She had tons of questions about the new computer. Quinn patiently spent the entire night explaining things to her.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: the couple’s first fight.


	9. Invalid Argument

9: Invalid Argument

“So, how’s married life treating you?” Vega Nasri inquired as she and Artie moseyed through the quad area. The weather was wonderfully warm and the sun was out, so there were a fair number of students out just relaxing, but the pair had class soon. They liked to catch up in between courses, though. Vega had tanned over the summer, as she always did. So, her golden brown skin almost as a glow to it, but then again, sometimes she just glowed from being around her girlfriend, Yvonne Ortega, long enough. Artie wondered if she glowed from being with Quinn.

Artie laughed, even though the phrasing made her feel rather nice on the inside.  _Married_. “Pretty good, even though I don’t think we can call it married when she didn’t even want to share my room with me.”

“I told Yvonne that and she couldn’t believe it. I reminded her no one wants to be around you every hour of everyday,” Vega teased, shoving Artie slightly, who stumbled off the sidewalk into the nearby grass.

Artie wasted no time punching her childhood friend in the arm. “Don’t confuse me with you. The only reason Tega can do it is because she’s actually a saint.”

“Hey!” Vega returned the favor, hitting Artie in the shoulder. “But, seriously, how are things going? She’s treating you good?”

Artie could feel her grin was beaming. “So far, so good.”

Vega shook her head, her short black hair swaying with her. “I can’t believe you actually turned a straight girl. Unbelievable.”

Artie only smirked smugly, even though she didn’t think that was true. Well, she didn’t think it was entirely true. She suspected Quinn bent a little from the way that she went through boyfriends and from the boyfriends that she picked. They always seemed like dead ends and Quinn was smart enough to see that. She’d never say that, especially to Vega, who would just use it to tease Quinn.

The other thing that made her think that Quinn was always a little less than straight was because Quinn was always enthusiastic about their sex life. Even when Quinn didn’t touch her, she had always been more than open and wanting for Artie’s touch. Now that their relationship allowed for reciprocating, Quinn didn’t like going a single night without at least exploring part of Artie’s body, needing to know more.

Hell, she had taught Artie a thing or two about her own body. Just recently, Quinn had slid a finger inside of her. At first, Artie panicked, not used to any intrusion unless it came from one of her toys that she was using on someone else. But, Quinn calmed her down with soft kisses, gentle caresses, and some very well placed “I love yous.” It turned out, she did not mind so much after that and Quinn walked around proud for several days.

“She makes you happy?” Vega asked seriously, taking her from her thoughts.

Artie nodded, happy that Vega cared enough to ask. “Of course, she does. Quinn’s one of the best things to ever happen to me. She takes care of me, you know? She makes sure I eat. She picks up after me. She knows where everything is when I forget where the hell I put it.”

Vega laughed. “And you do that a lot.”

Artie sneered at her best friend, even though that was the truth. “What do you want from me? You live in a house with five younger sisters and you get used to things going missing.”

Vega chuckled. “So, why didn’t she want to share a dorm with you? You shared your shoebox of a room for three months. Not to mention, the dorm doesn’t have those five younger sisters you were talking about.”

Sighing, Artie shrugged. “Morgan wants her to stay and that’s fine. Honestly, in the two weeks we’ve been at school, I don’t think she’s slept in her room more than twice. She and Morgan hang out often, but she always comes back to my room. I think Morgan is more comforted by the idea of them being roommates than actually needing Quinn in the room.”

There was a nod. “As long as you’re happy, I guess it’s all right. You make sure she knows you’re happy. Show her as often as you can. Yvonne will waste no time bitching at me the second she starts to feel underappreciated, which is quite often. I should’ve known how high maintenance she’d be from when we were just friends,” Vega joked, earning some laughs from Artie.

“You also should’ve noticed she was after you much sooner, but you’re definitely not the observant type.” 

Vega punched Artie again. The friends laughed and went about their day. In the back of Artie’s mind, she thought about making sure to show Quinn that she was appreciated. No one ever made her feel the way Quinn did and she never wanted Quinn to forget or doubt for even a moment that she loved her. She was already working to get new tutoring clients as well as more papers. She already put away some money for gifts and dates. Quinn would be taken care of and know how much Artie loved her.

“I should probably take care of dinner today, too. I don’t want her to think she always has to do that if we don’t go out,” Artie figured.

She texted Quinn to let the pale woman know she had dinner and got an odd response. Quinn replied, “I wish you had your clothes.” Artie had no idea what that meant and arched an eyebrow to it, but didn’t respond. She’d ask about it when she got back to the room. 

-8-8-8-8-

“Hey, babe, I got burgers,” Artie announced as she entered the dorm room.

“Can you seriously pick up your clothes? Would it kill you?” Quinn huffed, cramming clothing into the hamper. “And why the hell are they everywhere? I mean, seriously, under the bed and behind the desk? Who does that?”

Artie blinked, as that wasn’t the greeting she expected. “What?”

“Would it seriously kill you to put your damn clothes in the hamper? The room isn’t that big, so why do you have to throw your goddamn clothes everywhere?” Quinn snapped, motioning around the room with a flick of her wrist.

“Uh… what?” Artie wasn’t sure what else to say. She frowned a little. “Where is this coming from?” 

“This is coming from the fact that you’re filthy, Artie! You are filthy,” Quinn stated plainly.

Artie scrunched up her face, somewhat offended. “I’m not really filthy. I just put my clothes everywhere.” 

“Are you kidding me? Look at this!” Quinn grabbed a handful of granola bar wrappers from on the desk. “Filthy!” She practically slammed the wrappers down in the little garbage. Then she brushed crumbs into her hands using an empty bag of gummi bears that was also just sitting on the desk. “Disgusting!”

Artie winced. “Seriously, baby, where is this coming from? My room looked like this last semester, too. My bedroom wasn’t much better.”  _This is how I’ve always lived, so why the hell is she making an issue out of it now? What the hell?_

Throwing her hands up, Quinn sighed. “I excused the bedroom because I know you get a lot of traffic, but I can’t live like this, Artie. This is ridiculous.” She huffed and then picked up some empty juice bottles to put those in the trash.

Artie stepped back. “What does it matter since you don’t live here anyway?”  _Shit, why the fuck did I say that?_ She knew she said it because she was getting upset that she was being chewed out for behavior that was rather old.

Quinn stopped everything she was doing and stared at her lover. “Really?” 

The sarcastic, skeptical tone in her voice should’ve given Artie pause, but she was kind of used to saying whatever the hell she wanted, so she pressed on, like an idiot. “Yes, really. All your stuff is at your room with Morgan, right? That’s where you stay.” 

A rather scary snarl tugged at Quinn’s lip. “Really? That’s your feelings on things? You don’t have to clean up because I don’t live here? I don’t get to have an opinion because I don’t live here? Is that it?” she demanded, folding her arms across her chest.

Artie stuck by her decision to be an idiot. “You don’t.” 

“You know what, Artie, you’re absolutely right. I don’t live here and I don’t have to live in your fucking filth. I don’t have to clean up after you either. Have fun living in your own crap. I’m going home,” Quinn declared and her words made Artie wince. The way the door slammed made her wince twice.

It took Artie a few seconds to realize Quinn left. “What the hell just happened?” she wondered, throwing her hands up and shaking the bag with their burgers.

Putting the bag of food down on her desk, Artie looked around. She could tell Quinn had been cleaning, beyond picking up her clothing. Groaning, she was already starting to feel like an ass. She decided to give Vega a call and find out if she had done anything right in that one minute of causing a fight over something stupid. She also wanted to make sure this was not a “breakup type” fight. Quinn wasn’t gone for good, right? 

“So… you actually countered with ‘you don’t live here’? You seriously said that?” Vega asked incredulously.

“Not the right thing to say?” Although, at this point, Artie knew the answer to that. 

“Totally not the right thing to say!” Yvonne chimed in, sounding upset.

“You have me on speaker phone?” Artie sighed. She should’ve known and expected that. She didn’t want Yvonne to know she was an ass, though. 

“Duh. Yvonne’s going to tell you how to get out of this mess,” Vega told her. 

“You are?” Artie was hopeful.

“I’m thinking about it. I can’t believe you told her. She was just cleaning up,” Yvonne argued. 

“I know, I know! But, in my head, it sounded like ‘this is why I won’t live with you, Artie. You’re a pig.’”

“Except she didn’t say that. She just told you the truth. You are filthy,” Vega said. 

“It’s not the end of the world. Vega’s filthy, too, and I’ve learned to live with,” Yvonne assured her.

“Hey!” Vega objected. 

“You are. You expect someone to pick up after you because you come from a family that has a maid service and Artie is just used to putting stuff down anywhere because she’s always on the move. Artie, don’t worry. It’s not the end of the world. You are trainable,” Yvonne remarked. 

“You make it sound like I’m a puppy,” Artie grumbled.

“You are. You’re a bad puppy, just like Vega can sometimes be,” Yvonne said.

“Like she can be, too,” Vega chimed in.

Yvonne laughed. “Yes, I can be a bad puppy, too. But, we’re all trainable. You have to be or you can’t live with someone. First, you have to figure out what you’ll put up with from someone. I’m sure you put up with things with Quinn.” 

“She kicks in her sleep,” Artie frowned. Sometimes, it actually hurt.

“And you’re willing to put up with that. She was willing to put up with your clutter while you had an excuse for it, but not now. Look, Art, it’s not going to kill you to actually use your garbage can, is it?” Yvonne asked. 

Sighing, Artie pouted. “No.”

“And I think we can all agree that Quinn is worth making the bed every now and then, right?” Yvonne said. 

“Yes.”

“And you’d rather be with Quinn than to have the ability to dump your shit wherever it pleases you, right?” 

“Yes. I feel thoroughly like an ass, Tega.”

“Then get off the phone with us and go apologize, to her face. Don’t text, don’t call, go to her and say what needs to be said. Whenever you fuck up, you go to her. I don’t care where she is,” Yvonne ordered. 

“Yes, ma’am.”

Artie hung up and sighed.  _I’ve got a lot to learn about being in a relationship_. She did know she couldn’t afford a bunch of nights like tonight. She couldn’t just say whatever came to mind with Quinn. Of course, she had to think things out more before she blurted them out anyway because she did not want to hurt Quinn or risk losing her.

“And I have to make sure she knows I appreciate her. Telling her she doesn’t live here when she’s here every day isn’t doing that,” she scolded herself.

Looking around, she realized she had been acting like Quinn didn’t live there while Quinn had been doing the opposite. Quinn had things she needed there and she tried to make the room comfortable for herself. Every couple of days Quinn put her clothes away and cleaned up after her. That wasn’t fair.

“Great, I am a giant ass,” Artie said as she began cleaning up the mess that Quinn had started to pick up. She figured it would be a good peace offering and she wanted to give Quinn some time to cool down. 

With that out of the way, she slowly made her way to Quinn’s dorm.  _No, Morgan’s dorm. Quinn’s bunking with me, even if we don’t say it_. She hoped they let her in.

“Quinn, Princess, it’s me,” Artie said as she knocked. 

“What do you want? You don’t live here,” Quinn pointed out, but she opened the door, so that was a good thing. 

“Princess, I am so sorry for being an ass. I shouldn’t have said that, especially since you do live there. You’ve been in that room as much, if not more than me. I’m sorry. I guess, I just have to get used to the idea of someone different from me sharing my space. I mean, you just let it slide at home, so I thought you were cool with how I am,” Artie explained. 

“I was all right with it because of the traffic in your room. There’s no traffic now. I’m sorry I snapped at you. I was just tired of always cleaning up and you didn’t even seem to notice.”

Artie smiled a bit and caressed Quinn’s cheek, happy that Quinn allowed her to do so. “Trust me, I noticed. It’s been easier to find stuff lately. I’ll do better.” 

“Thank you.”

“Uh… want some cold apology burgers?” Artie held up their dinner. 

Quinn laughed. “Come on in.”

They ate the cold burgers as if they were a fine meal and cuddled on Quinn’s neat and made bed. Artie wondered if that was their first fight. If it was, she thought they handled it rather well. She knew that they would disagree every now and then, so she hoped they always settled things so quickly and painlessly. 

“Do you think there’s a way for you to not kick in your sleep?” Artie asked before she realized what she was saying.  _I definitely have to learn to filter better with her!_  

Quinn just gave her an “are you serious” look and swatted her thigh. Artie laughed and decided she had gotten off easy there. 

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Artie wonders why Quinn is with her while Quinn is made uncomfortable.


	10. Burst Bubble

10: Burst Bubble

Artie was very aware that she and Quinn were living in a bubble and had been since going to her house for the summer. She was almost hyper-aware of it because she knew that bubble would eventually burst. She wanted to be prepared. She’d need to catch Quinn when they fell from the heights their drifting bubble had floated to. So, imagine her surprise when the bubble more got a slow leak rather than popped and doubly so when it was Quinn that did so. 

They were in Artie’s room with the lights out and curled up together in her bed, wearing their pajamas, which was just a t-shirt and shorts for both of them. Artie’s back was against the wall and Quinn was leaning against her. Artie’s arms were around Quinn and her head rested on Quinn’s shoulder. They watched a movie on her new laptop.

“Oh, he’s cute, isn’t he?” Quinn said innocently. 

Artie stiffened briefly. She didn’t look at guys like that. It went beyond that she was a lesbian through and through, but also that until recently she identified as male. As far as she was concerned, guys didn’t judge the looks of other guys like that. She’d never in her life describe an adult male as “cute” in regards to his appearance and she wasn’t about to start now.

“Oh, that guy is a cute, too,” Quinn cooed, twisting the metaphorical knife counter clockwise now.

Artie swallowed hard as she was reminded her girlfriend was very much attracted to guys, no matter how much she had tried to convince herself otherwise. Quinn identified as straight. Quinn liked guys. Maybe there was more to it than that, but down to the bare bones of things, Quinn liked men, had been with men, and probably still thought about men. 

 _Is she with me because I’m the closest thing to a guy, but made a little safer?_ Around the campus, most people considered Artie more of a male than a female and she truly didn’t mind for the most part. Until recently, she considered herself male and still felt like she identified more as male than female as far as her gender identity, but this thing with Quinn bothered her.

She wanted Quinn to be with her because Quinn liked her, everything about her. Not just that she was close enough to a guy for a straight girl to date and feel safe. Was she supposed to sit around and wait for the perfect guy to come along and then watch Quinn leave with him? The very idea left a bad taste in her mouth and a rock in the pit of her stomach.

“Baby, you okay?” Quinn inquired, turning to look at Artie. 

“Huh?” Artie blinked.

“You’re unusually quiet there. I’m waiting for you to point out how fake the explosions were. Do you not like the movie? Want to watch something else?” Quinn patted the hand wrapped around her, as if to lift Artie’s spirits. 

“What? No.” Artie shook her head. “It’s okay. I was just thinking about something.”

Quinn studied her with an arched eyebrow. “You want to talk about it?”

“No, no, no. It’s nothing. Come on, let’s watch this movie,” Artie insisted, pulling her lover closer to her. She was probably worried about nothing. Surely, Quinn didn’t mean anything by it. It was just one of those things that slipped out, like if she commented on how cute a girl was. Of course, she’d probably get a dirty look and scolded for that, but that was more than likely because the girl would be more of a legitimate threat than some phony movie guy.

Quinn nodded and relaxed back into Artie. Artie wrapped her arms around Quinn and kissed the side of her head. She spent most of the time running her hands through Quinn’s soft, brown mane and caressing Quinn’s scalp. By the time the movie ended, Artie had managed to convince herself that she was being paranoid. Maybe.

-8-8-8-8-

The bubble was destroyed on a date night not too long after the air started to be let out of it. Artie had silently decided that Friday night would always be their date night, not wanting to bog Quinn down with her generally isolated behavior when it came to school. So, her plan was that at least every Friday night, she’d try to take Quinn out. Tonight was the first night of this plan and she figured they do the classic ‘dinner and a movie’ if only to stir up memories of their first real date. 

Quinn seemed more than happy to go out, donning a very sexy navy blue dress that hugged her body probably more than necessary for their simple dinner. Artie was a little less dashing, putting on her favorite outfit of black knickerbockers and a matching vest. She wore a lime green shirt with matching socks that went up to her knees and put on her bowler hat.

“Did you ever think about how after college you’re going to have to start dressing normally?” Quinn asked with a smile. 

“Nope. I’m living in a grand delusion that college will never end. Therefore the good times roll on,” Artie remarked, offering Quinn her arm.

Quinn laughed and hooked her arm with Artie’s as they entered the restaurant. It wasn’t anything fancy. It was just a regular place where they could get a meal at no more than twenty-five dollars each. The whole date actually ran Artie almost two days worth of tutoring work. Of course, Quinn was worth that and more.

The place was packed. Artie guessed a lot of people either had dates on Friday or just hung out, but she didn’t think anything of it at first. As they were shown to their table, it became apparent that the crowd would be a problem. There were some stares. They ignored them for the most part. Even when there were some whispers, which Artie was used to anyway. “Is that guy or a girl?” “That’s a butch bitch.” “A real dyke.” “Yo, I bet that’s like one of those trannies and _it’s_ got a date.” There were snickers. Artie had heard all of that and more and was able to tune it out, like it wasn’t even going on. What she couldn’t ignore was how tense Quinn was against her and how her eyes dropped to the floor. 

“It’s okay,” Artie tried to quietly assure her as she guided Quinn to her seat. She could see in Quinn’s eyes that it wasn’t okay, though. It was far from it.

Artie sat down across from Quinn, wanting to reach out and hold her hand. From the way Quinn looked like she wanted to crawl into herself, Artie knew that wasn’t a good idea. Glancing around, she saw they were still the number one attraction. There were more whispers and low laughing. There was even some pointing. And did some bastard just sneak a picture of them? “Why’s _it_ dressed like that? Trying to confuse us?” “It’s a disguise to get the heat off the fact that bitch is a dude.” “Maybe it’s a dude trying to a chick.”

Quinn was red with embarrassment. Artie wanted to put her at ease in someway, so she reached under the table, where no one could see, and put her hand on Quinn’s thigh. Quinn actually jumped and moved her leg. Artie felt like her insides fell out of her at that very moment.  _This wouldn’t happen if she were out with an actual guy, like her cute guy from the movie. She’s realizing that now. Will she want to put up with this? The stares, the whispers, the laughs that have nothing to do with the way I’m dressed, but everything to do with how I look and act?_

“Do you want to leave?” Artie asked in a low tone. 

Quinn didn’t respond, but the look on her face said it all. Artie sighed and stood up, holding out her hand for Quinn. The brunette hesitated, glancing away, before taking her hand. They exited and Quinn actually let go of her hand. Artie took a breath to keep from losing her temper because all of this was new to Quinn, who couldn’t even look at her. The ground had Quinn’s full attention.

“Should we even try for the movies?” Artie inquired. The theater was dark. It was possible they could have good time without someone saying something. They had done it before. 

“I’m not really in the mood,” Quinn admitted in a whisper, wrapping her arms around herself.

Sighing, Artie nodded. “I figured.”

They went back to the room, not bothering to get anything to eat. Quinn sat down at the desk while Artie stood by the door with her arms folded across her chest. Quinn stared at the wall. They didn’t say anything to each other for a long while.

“I’m going to go get us some food. If you want to talk about it, think about what you want to say and we’ll do it when I get back,” Artie said before leaving. Truthfully, she’d be surprised if Quinn was even still there when she came back. She figured it was the gentlemanly thing to do, though, give Quinn a chance to escape without having to make up an excuse.

To her wonderful shock, Quinn was still there when she returned with sandwiches. Quinn was in her pajamas and sitting on the bed, possibly reading a book or just trying to appear like she was not anxious. Artie handed her the bag with their food before stripping out of her clothing. She grabbed a pair of her basketball shorts from the hamper, earning a frown from Quinn.

“Don’t worry. I’m gonna put these back in the hamper after I take a shower and put on new ones,” Artie promised. She had learned from Quinn that once clothing went in the hamper, they were not to be put back on until washed. While she never used to put on “outside” clothes once it was in the hamper, she had often worn pajamas or lounge wear from off the floor or in the hamper before Quinn came along.

“Good. I’m sorry for back at the restaurant,” Quinn apologized, as she moved from the bed to the desk. Quinn was very firm about them not eating on the bed if they could help it. She handed Artie her sandwich and then placed both of their drinks on the desk.

“It’s all right. This is new to you. I’m used to going out and people looking at me, trying to figure out what I am. It’s okay that it bothers you and embarrasses you,” Artie said as she unwrapped her hero. Bits of lettuce fell onto her sleeveless t-shirt, which she quickly picked off and tossed in the trash.

“No, it’s not okay!” Quinn objected, throwing her hands up. She suddenly up from the desk and paced for a moment. “I shouldn’t be ashamed to be out with you! I love you and they’re idiots! I don’t want idiots dictating how I behave, but I was so scared and nervous. What if they came up to us? What if they asked you some stupid question? What if they ‘don’t take kindly’ to people like us?”

Artie sighed. “Those are all good questions, but rarely happen.”

“What do I need to do to get rid of that shame and fear?” Quinn sank back down onto the bed, eyes shimmering with frustrated tears.

Artie was speechless.  _Dear God, how the hell did I get this amazing woman?_  She wasn’t expecting Quinn to recognize the problem and speak on it. She didn’t think Quinn would still declare her love for her.

Artie slid onto the bed next to her and put her arm around Quinn. Quinn wasted no time moving in next to her and snuggling next to her. She leaned down and kissed the top of Quinn’s head. 

“We’ll get through it,” Artie promised.

“I do love you, Artie,” Quinn insisted, wrapping her arms around Artie and holding her tight.

“I know. I love you, too. This’ll take time, but I’m here for you and you react any way that you want. If you’re uncomfortable and want to leave, just tell me. You don’t have to suffer, okay? I won’t get insulted,” Artie vowed. She knew it was hard sometimes. Her own sisters had to put up with verbal abuse because of the way she looked.

Quinn only nodded. They quietly ate their hero sandwiches. Artie wanted to make things better. She never wanted Quinn to have to suffer embarrassment like that again, but she knew all she could do was be there for Quinn and hope. She hoped Quinn did want to get through this because she’d always be there for Quinn.

-8-8-8-8- 

Next time: Quinn wonders on her sexuality and tries to deal with her newfound fear.


	11. Lunch Break

11: Lunch Break

Quinn groaned as she felt Artie slide out of bed. Reaching out blindly, she managed to grab some part of Artie. It felt like cotton, so it was probably the edge of Artie’s shirt, but she didn’t open her eyes to find out. She felt soft lips touch her own and a hand caress her cheek. She purred slightly from the sweet attention. 

“Text me before you go to class. Maybe we can get lunch,” Artie whispered.

Quinn only nodded. Even though she was mostly asleep, she’d definitely remember to text Artie. Hearing the door shut, she settled back in to her pillow, but opened an eye just to glance at the clock. Artie left earlier than usual, almost an hour early. Quinn didn’t think anything of it, as Artie probably just needed more time in the gym after their failed date Friday night. Artie worked things out through working, either writing pages or working out. She preferred when Artie worked out.

Quinn didn’t really think about it until she got up and had some coffee in her from a vending machine in the dorm building, allowing her to think straight.  _Think straight? Will I ever do anything straight again?_ She hadn’t thought about her sexuality since admitting to herself and to Artie that she loved her. Even when Morgan brought it up, she didn’t let it dwell in her mind, but their date on Friday made things so much more real than anything else.

“I’m dating a woman. Well, biologically a woman and she does identify as a woman now. Does that make me a lesbian? Was I always a lesbian?” Quinn wondered aloud as she put a couple of books into her bag. She didn’t know how to answer those questions.

She texted Artie as she was leaving just to say she was on the move and that she loved Artie. “I love you back” was the reply, which Quinn checked in class. After that, instead of turning her attention back to her professor, she glanced at the Internet icon on her phone. Looking up just to make sure the professor wasn’t looking at her, as they were in a relatively small classroom, she quickly opened the Internet and searched “born gay.”

The fact that there were almost three hundred million results was daunting enough, but add the fact that just flipping through the first page confused her even more and that made her turn off her phone. She tried to lose herself in the lecture and follow in the discussion. She liked the book they had to read for the week, so she had no trouble talking about it and the elements they were studying, but in the back of her mind she couldn’t help wondering if she had been born gay, if she turned gay, or if something else entirely was going on with her.

 _But, if I was born gay, wouldn’t I have noticed?_ She figured when she hit puberty, she would’ve suddenly noticed girls instead of boys or something like that. But, it didn’t make sure to her that she “turned” gay. It wasn’t like being gay was akin to being liberal or conservative or something like that.

After class, she had time to go to her dorm and put down her books. She also pulled out some clothes that she’d take to Artie’s room later. She didn’t keep much clothing at Artie’s dorm because the single room had a smaller wardrobe than the double. She didn’t understand it since the double had two closets, not one big one, but she didn’t dwell on it.

“I’ll do laundry and bring that stuff over here tomorrow,” she decided as she checked the time on her phone and also saw she had a message. Artie still wanted to meet for lunch.

A lump suddenly grew in her throat. The idea of a meal with Artie where people could see was suddenly terrifying. They had gone out before, but now, all she could think about were stares and whispers and dirty looks, all judging them, judging her. She didn’t want people staring, trying to figure out if Artie was a guy, or if they were two lesbians out on a date. She just didn’t want people staring.

“Who would’ve thought there’d come a time when I didn’t want attention?” Quinn muttered. Of course, she doubted any sane person desired negative attention.

Still, knots formed in her stomach and she felt like she was going to throw up. Taking a deep breath, she resolved to meet Artie. She loved Artie and she wouldn’t let the world stop her from enjoying the best woman that she had ever met, the most loving and supportive partner she had ever had.

“It’s their problem, not mine. It’s their problem, not mine. It’s their problem, not mine,” she chanted as she made her way to the student union. She found Artie sitting at a table with food already in front of her.

“Hey, love,” Artie agreed her and the term of endearment helped fortify Quinn. She took another deep breath and embraced Artie. Artie smiled and returned the hug.

“I see you started lunch without me,” Quinn commented with a teasing smile.

“I knew you’d want a wrap and I got a gyro. If you want something else, I’ll go get it,” Artie said as she pulled out Quinn’s chair.

 _She’s so sweet_. Shaking her head, Quinn took her seat. “No, no, no. It’s fine. I do love the wraps here.”

“You want something to drink?”

“Some iced tea would be fine.”

Artie nodded and went off to get the drink. Quinn noted she drank a lot less soda now that she was with Artie, who only had soda – usually warm cola – when she was particularly stressed out. Quinn took a few breaths before Artie returned with their beverages. Artie placed down the bottle of iced tea and ran her fingers along Quinn’s hand.

Taking a hissing inhale, Quinn tried to will herself not to jump or pull her hand away. Unfortunately, she didn’t have the willpower that she wished she did and her shoulders flinched just enough for Artie to slide her hand away. Russet eyes tracked her as Artie sat down.

“Baby, I’m so sorry,” Quinn quickly apologized, putting her hand on the table, as if she was going to reach over. She didn’t do so, though. Her heart pounded in her chest and she glanced around, trying to see if anyone was watching them.

“It’s all right. Do you want me to not touch you in public anymore?” Artie asked. She was serious, but she didn’t seem bothered. She frowned a bit, but nothing beyond that.

“No, I don’t want that. Absolutely not! I don’t want to give into the idiots. I just… I just need time to adjust and I want you to pull me kicking and screaming into this,” Quinn stated quite truthfully. She didn’t want to blow this, especially from some fear she hadn’t been expecting and a fear she felt was stupid.

Artie chuckled. “Are you sure? What we have, it doesn’t need to be for the world to see.”

“I’m very sure. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I love you, Artie. I’m sorry that I’m scared or anxious or whatever about people seeing and whispering, but I don’t want to be like that. I want to hold my head up high when I’m with you because you are awesome.”

Artie grinned and rubbed her knuckles against her chest. “I am pretty awesome, aren’t I? I’m sorry people are doing this.”

“You don’t control people. Besides, it’s not that bad in here,” Quinn pointed out. None of the students were really paying them any mind. “Maybe we can start small. Come here and then work our way out into the world.”

Artie smiled and nodded. Quinn hoped that would work. She wasn’t ashamed of loving Artie. She was just embarrassed that people were idiots.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Artie goes through some changes.


	12. Hello There

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: this chapter contains two women engaging in a sexual relationship. If you don’t wanna see that sort of thing, skip this chapter.

12: Hello There 

Artie yawned and stretched as she closed the door behind her last tutoring client of the day. She had made it a point to actively seek clients to tutor, as she needed money. Her hard work made sure she had clients every day, so she made a nice bit of money every week, but she could always use more. Once she started picking up papers, she thought things would be even better, but for now, she focused on tutoring because it was honest work that didn’t worry Quinn. 

She tried to make it a point to get all of her clients out of the way before six, which was usually when Quinn came to the room. Most days, she didn’t have much free time, but she made a little extra time for herself that day for a haircut. She felt proud of herself for doing it. 

Quinn obviously wasn’t expecting the haircut because when she came in and leaned in to give Artie a kiss, she completely stopped. Quinn’s book bag dropped to the floor as her mouth dropped open. Her large brown eyes went right to the top of Artie’s head and her fingers followed. Gently, Quinn touched the shaved sides of her head.

“Honey, what happened to your hair?” Quinn inquired, sounding a little baffled, squinting as she studied Artie’s head. 

Artie couldn’t help laughing. “I got a haircut.” The sides were shaved as close as possible without her being bald and the top was down to about an inch and spiked while being swept to the right side. She thought it was a good cut, but Quinn didn’t seem to share her same enthusiasm.

“I can see what, but why’d you cut so much off? I can barely run my fingers through this,” Quinn complained with a cute pout as she made it an attempt to sweep her fingers through Artie’s hair.

Artie shrugged as she felt Quinn’s fingers on her scalp. It felt damned good. “I just thought it was time for a change.”

Squinting more, Quinn seemed to be studying her face now. “Time for a change? It’s going to start getting cooler and you’ve shaved off almost all of your hair.” 

Artie offered a lopsided, lighthearted grin. “Princess, that’s what hats are for. Besides, if my head does start to get cold, my hair tends to grow quickly, so it’ll be back before long.” 

Quinn gave her an impish smile, biting her lip. “Good. Then I can run my fingers through it because I don’t think this is going to cut it.” She leaned in for a kiss, which Artie wasted no time obliging her. 

They lost themselves in the ecstasy of each other’s mouths and tongues. Artie’s hands quickly found Quinn’s body while Quinn seemed desperate to run her fingers through  _something_  on Artie’s head. There wasn’t much, but she managed to get a fist full of hair and pulled. Artie growled.

“I think I like your substitute move,” Artie remarked, pulling away slightly, wanting to pop the buttons open on Quinn’s form-fitting shirt. She managed to start, but she didn’t get a chance to finish. 

Quinn only chuckled while reaching for the waistband of Artie’s baggy, grey sweatpants, pulling her black t-shirt away from it. She yanked the t-shirt off, causing Artie to step back to free herself from the garment, as well as her bralette. The clothing was dumped on the floor.

Quinn shrugged her way out of her own unbuttoned shirt. Artie was back and kissing her with all of the passion that she could muster while undoing Quinn’s lacy bra and getting rid of it. Usually, she would at least stop to admire Quinn’s body in just her under garments, but she wanted Quinn badly right now. Once the bra was gone, her hands filled with creamy, soft breasts. She kneaded them just right and Quinn moaned into her mouth. The sound tasted like heaven.  _I cannot lose this woman_.

Quinn’s hands wandered to Artie’s chest, but Artie moved them before they got to her breasts. Quinn’s hands went from Artie’s shoulders back to her head. Her fingers fisted in Artie’s hair as Artie applied just the right amount of pressure to Quinn’s lovely breasts.

Artie turned Quinn and guided her down to the bed. Quinn didn’t offer any resistance, almost falling onto the bed. Artie leaned over her, unbuttoning her skirt and sliding it down delicious-looking legs. Her shoes went with the skirt, as did her panties. Quinn was panting and watching her with eager, lust-filled eyes.

“You’re beautiful,” Artie muttered as she took in the breathtaking sight of Quinn naked and she didn’t really have a choice but to jump in, head first. 

Her lips wasted no time attaching themselves to a puckered, rosy nipple and she sucked harder than she usually would. Quinn didn’t seem to mind, crying out and arching her back, trying to force more of herself into Artie. Lips and tongue plucked, pulled, and played with that gem and its twin, driving Quinn into a frenzy. Quinn scratched and clawed at her back, which Artie liked. It always felt good when Quinn clung to her, silently begging for more. 

“I know what you like. I know what you need,” Artie said in between kisses and nips.  _No one else could do this to you exactly the way you like it_.

“Do you?” Quinn panted, rubbing her calf against Artie’s pants-covered leg. 

Artie looked Quinn directly in the eye. “You know I do.” Proving her point, she went and gently tugged Quinn’s earlobe with her teeth. Quinn yelped and moaned, bucking against Artie. Smiling, Artie pulled back. “Told you,” she whispered before going back to Quinn’s supple nipple.

Quinn sat up as much as she could with Artie looming over her and refusing to leave her cleavage now that she’d staked her claim. She reached for the waistband of Artie’s sweatpants, yanking them down as best she could, which wasn’t much considering she couldn’t sit up. Frustrated, Quinn huffed and throw herself down on the bed, causing Artie to lose the prize between her lips and an ear-shattering pop.

“You want something?” Artie asked with a teasing smile.

“Either let me up or take those damn pants off right now,” Quinn ordered, giving Artie a swat on the butt. 

Artie had no problem with complying with that order, especially since she wanted to see Quinn’s reaction when she was sans pants. Raising up on her knees, she pulled her pants down while watching Quinn’s face. The hunger on Quinn’s face was almost tangible and Artie felt like it tore through her, burning her whole body with desire.

“What brought this on?” Quinn inquired, running a finger down Artie’s strap-on. 

“It’s been a while,” Artie replied. Lately, they had been all hands and mouths, which would’ve suited her just fine not too long ago. But, now, she could think about was wearing her cock and reminding Quinn just what she could do with it.

“It has. You remember how to use that thing?” A teasing smirk and smoking expression settled on Quinn’s face.

Artie growled and took the challenge to heart.  _I know how to use this better than anybody you’ve ever been with!_ Settling herself in between Quinn’s legs, she kissed Quinn deeply, wanting her to know just how much she loved her through the feel of her lips and nothing more. While her lips claimed Quinn, pressing her with silent declarations and promises, one hand crawled down Quinn’s chest and belly, caressing her. Her fingers circled a quivering belly button before dipping lower, reveling in the hot bounty awaiting her.

Cute whimpers flowed from Quinn as Artie stroked her and kissed her. Artie just wanted to cuddle her, hold her, feel her pressed against her, and be a part of her forever and always.  _I can’t lose this woman_. Shifting her hips, she moved into position, rubbing her addition against Quinn, wanting it and Quinn to be thoroughly prepared. 

“Tell me when, baby,” Artie whispered against Quinn’s kiss-swollen lips. 

“God, now,” Quinn begged, hips moving against her, driving Artie wild. 

Artie growled at that and gently pushed into Quinn, watching her face contort with pleasure as she accepted every inch wantonly. Quinn clutched onto her back, nails biting into her broad shoulders. The pain made her hiss as she set a steady pace, wanting this to last as long as possible.

Quinn moaned loudly. “So good…” 

Artie’s response was to go in just a little harder, earning a squeal from Quinn, who dug her nails in just a little more. Quinn draped her leg over Artie’s hip and moved against her, making Artie move with even more intent. Quinn kissed whatever part of Artie she could reach every now and then, causing Artie’s body to get hotter and her hips thrust little harder. The bed creaked as Artie moved with purpose, intent, needing to pull Quinn to the edge, but not push her off. Quinn panted and wailed while trying to keep pace with Artie.

“Baby, please, please. Oh, god, please,” Quinn implored, kissing Artie’s shoulder.

“What do you need, Princess? Tell me what you need?” Artie panted as sweat rolled down her back. She could feel Quinn losing her grip, but not giving up entirely.

“Come. I need to…” Quinn didn’t get to finish that sentence as Artie shifted their bodies.

Artie pulled Quinn up and sat up herself. Quinn whined, but followed as Artie fell backward. Quinn was on top. Artie moved her hips, pushing upward, dragging a haggard moan out of Quinn. The brunette braced herself by putting her arms on Artie’s thick, raised thighs and then rode Artie for all she was worth. Artie put a hand on Quinn’s hip to keep her steady while the other hand stroked Quinn’s clit.

“Oh, god,” Quinn moaned, breasts bouncing from her frantic movements.

Artie enjoyed the view of Quinn above her while her hands roamed smooth skin as Quinn’s precious weight pressed against her. Quinn whimpered with each pass of Artie’s hands until one hand settled against Quinn, caressing her just where she needed it. Within seconds Quinn was screaming and shuddering above her. Artie sat up, holding Quinn as her orgasm washed over her and she rode the wave. Quinn slumped against her and began kissing whatever glistening flesh was near her mouth. 

“Your turn,” Quinn whispered, her hands moving toward Artie’s breasts.

“Not exactly. This is my turn, and your turn,” Artie replied. She moved them, putting Quinn on her knees in a position that was very familiar to them. Quinn whimpered and fell forward as Artie pressed into her again. 

-8-8-8-8-

The room was dark and silent, save the sound of Quinn’s light breathing. Artie held the sleeping brunette close to her and smiled at how worn out Quinn was. She had made love to Quinn until Quinn couldn’t take it anymore and collapsed into the mattress. She brushed Quinn’s bangs out of her face. 

“I can be what you need, what you want. I can because I can’t lose you,” Artie said, kissing the top of Quinn’s head. She was determined to do anything and everything to keep Quinn. 

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Quinn thinks there’s something wrong with Artie, who seems to be spoiling for a fight.


	13. Tear Down

13: Tear Down

Something was amiss with Artie, but Quinn wasn’t sure what. She considered she might just be imagining things. Maybe it was because she wasn’t a fan of the new haircut, which actually seemed to be getting shorter every few days. She wasn’t sure if Artie was trimming her hair or if it was just her imagination, but she didn’t like it, even if it was all in her head.

Another thing that seemed amiss was Artie’s muscles. They were definitely more defined, but seemed to be getting bigger. Quinn figured that made sense, as Artie had been going to the gym for a longer time lately and more often. She knew Artie used to go to the gym for a couple of days a week and work out for a couple of hours before her classes started. Now, she woke up an hour earlier every morning, intent on going to the gym, leaving Quinn with a kiss and a caress. 

The working out didn’t bother her so much as she knew the gym was Artie’s hobby and sanctuary. She was a bit worried about the size of Artie’s muscles, though. She feared that if Artie gained too much bulk, it might be unattractive. She tried to shake that thought away, feeling like it was petty and superficial.

“I love Artie. If she wants to bulk up, I’ll still love her,” Quinn assured herself, maybe even promised herself. She’d love Artie no matter what, but she was still bothered by something. She just couldn’t pin it down.

She shook those thoughts away and just allowed herself to remember that she loved Artie, which always helped get her through the day. She hung out with Morgan for a while before returning to Artie’s room for the night. She was greeted by a surprise when she opened the door. The place was trashed. For a moment, she was speechless and could only gape at a mess a hurricane would have envied.

“Artie, what the hell?” Quinn shouted in disbelief, throwing her hands up as she watched her girlfriend drop everything off of a shelf.

“What the hell indeed!” Artie roared as she turned to face Quinn. Her face was red and her eyes seemed to burn. “Where the hell are my notebooks? I can’t do my assignments without my damned notebooks! I know you moved them. Where the hell are they?” she demanded, pointing a rigid finger at Quinn.

Quinn flinched and stepped back, unaccustomed to Artie screaming at her in such a way. “Baby, your notebooks are where I always put them when you take them out of your book bag.” She had learned over the summer about routines for children thanks to the pantheon and applied the lesson to Artie with her habit of misplacing items, so everything she needed often was always placed in the same spot.

“No, they’re not! I looked there! I looked there twice,” Artie shrieked, holding up two fingers just in case Quinn didn’t know how many times “twice” was.

“Okay, first off, love, calm down,” Quinn urged her, reaching out for Artie’s hand, but Artie pulled away.

“No! I need those books! I’m about to graduate! I can’t suddenly fail classes now!” Artie kicked the nearest object, which was the cover of a book. Thankfully, it didn’t tear.

“Not to mention your nana will pop you,” Quinn teased, hoping humor would ease the situation, but noticed that didn’t even get an amused tick from the older woman.

A glare seemed embedded in Artie’s gaze. “Where the hell are my damned books?”

Quinn’s stomach quivered a bit, disliking the way Artie was acting right now. She shook her head and moved passed Artie, looking at the devastation her lover left in what was appearing to be more and more a temper tantrum. She pushed her own books out of the way on the desk and moved several papers out of the way to see that Artie’s precious notebooks weren’t there. Furrowing her brow, she wondered what could’ve happened to the notebooks. She happened to glance at the floor under the desk and notice there were several papers underneath it. Crouching down, she inspected the area and nodded to herself.

“Baby, can you move the desk out of the way,” Quinn requested as she stood up.

“Why? Where the fuck are my books?” Artie inquired, folding her arms across her chest. Squaring her shoulders, Artie’s biceps looked as thick as Quinn’s thigh.

Quinn rolled her eyes. “Just move the desk.”

Artie snorted through her nose, but did as she was asked. Quinn looked behind the desk and there were the notebooks. She crouched down again and snatched them up. Smiling impishly, she handed them over to Artie, who frowned, but did turn an embarrassing shade of red.

“All better now?” Quinn teased, patting Artie’s hard, massive bicep.

Artie growled and yanked her arm away. “Don’t patronize me. How the hell did they get down there?”

Quinn arched an eyebrow. “How would I know? You’re the one that practically turned the room on its head to find the books. You might’ve accidentally pushed them down there.”

Artie’s face twisted with fury. “So, it’s my fault?” She pointed to herself with her thumb.

Quinn held up her hands in surrender. “You know what, you’re obviously just looking for a fight and want to be mad. I’m going to go grab some books I need for tomorrow from the other room and hopefully when I come back, you’ll be in a better space.” She quickly ducked out of the room before Artie could raise her voice again.

On the short walk to the “other room,” as she had taken to calling her and Morgan’s dorm, she wondered what was wrong with her girlfriend. She thought about how Artie brought up that she was graduating and wondered if her senior workload was getting to her. Artie was a double major, meaning she had twice the amount of work some other students. Working on experiments for her psychology courses as well as final papers, might be getting to her, as well as her papers and internships for her sociology courses could be the cause. Added to that, Artie tutored and wrote papers. She might just be feeling the pressure. She’d ask Morgan her thoughts once she got the room.

“She’s probably just stressed,” Morgan concluded after hearing the tale. She sat on her bed, across from Quinn.

“That’s what I figured. I mean, she’s been going to the gym so much, so I figured stress is starting to set in and maybe even a little worry. I mean, after you graduate, you’re really an adult,” Quinn chuckled, opening her book bag to grab a book.

Morgan laughed. “Scary thought.”

“Very much so.”

Morgan smiled a bit as she stopped laughing. “But, yeah, you probably shouldn’t worry about it. I’m sure it’s just stress. What else does she do to relieve stress? Maybe going to the gym isn’t cutting it.”

Quinn thought for a while. “Usually, she eats a bag of gummi bears and forgets that real food exists.” It was a bit funny that her gym rat girlfriend ate candy to release stress.

“Has she done that?”

“No, because I make sure to get food if she doesn’t call me and tell me she’s got something or if I go to the room and see she’s stuck on her computer.”

“Maybe you should bring her some gummi bears, then. It might help her feel better. What else?” Morgan asked. “Try those things because they might help her feel better.”

There was soda; cola was preferred. She decided to get a bottle of soda and a bag of gummi bears along with real food upon her return to Artie. She’d been gone for almost two hours. That had to be plenty of time for Artie to calm down. Just to be sure, she knocked, giving Artie a final few seconds to get herself together and decide if she wanted Quinn there tonight.

“Hey, babe,” Artie said in a low voice as she slowly opened the door.

“Hey. You feeling better?” Quinn asked as she stepped inside and the door was softly shut behind her. She was pleased to see that the room was somewhat picked up.

Artie glanced away sheepishly and rubbed her head, mussing her incredibly short hair. “Sorry about that. I don’t know what the hell came over me. I mean, I know the notebooks are always there and then they weren’t and… I don’t even know.”

“It’s all right. I think you might just be stressed out from working too hard. So, I brought you a treat,” Quinn declared, holding up her bounty of a bag of gummi bears.

“Candy,” Artie cooed.

“Yes, but dinner first and then candy.”

Artie pouted, but didn’t put up a fight. She seemed to have calmed completely down and ate quietly. She gulped down her soda with her dinner and then tore into her gummi bears while waiting for Quinn to finish. When Quinn was done, they cuddled together and watched a television show that they were trying to get involved in if only to have something to watch together. They didn’t make it through, though, as Artie began kissing her neck.

Quinn doesn’t mind, but Artie had been much more amorous in the past couple of weeks. She figured the sex might be another way to relieve stress. The only issue she had was that Artie always wanted to use her strap-on now. Sometimes, she thought Artie actually wore the thing all day. Quinn wasn’t sure what to make of that. She would see if Artie might explain it.

“Artie, baby,” Quinn whispered as her lover grabbed her shirt.

“Yeah?” Artie inquired, nibbling Quinn’s ear and turning her into a puddle of goo.

 _Why the hell are my ears so sensitive?_  It was so hard to think when Artie paid any kind of attention to her earlobes. Swallowing hard and exhaling heavily, Quinn focused enough to say something coherent that wasn’t “fuck me.”

“Can it just be us?” Quinn asked in a pant, clutching Artie’s broad shoulders. Since Artie always wanted to use the strap-on, it didn’t give her a chance to touch Artie, which she missed.

“What are you talking about? It’s always us,” Artie replied before running her tongue along Quinn’s ears, sending shivers through the smaller woman.

“I know, but no…” Quinn reached down, feeling between Artie’s legs and wasn’t surprised to find the toy was already in place.

Artie pulled back a bit. “What? But, you like it.”

“I do, but I like you more. Your body.” She had come to appreciate everything about Artie and the things Artie’s body can do. Plus, she wanted to do things to Artie’s body.

“Yeah, but this is better. I can touch you and kiss you and feel you move against me. This is better,” Artie insisted.

Quinn was set to argue, but Artie swallowed any words that might have come with a demanding kiss. Artie practically ripped Quinn out of her shirt. Soon, Artie’s hands were on her breasts and her mouth was all over Quinn’s skin, so she was essentially putty in Artie’s hands.

“This is good,” Artie whispered, slipping Quinn out of her pants. She laid Quinn down, hovering over her. Her hands and mouth weren’t idle, drawing moans and whimpers from Quinn.

Quinn surrendered to her lover, wanting to be close to her, wanting to help her. Maybe Artie used the toy to relieve stress and if that was the case, then it was fine. She did like it, after all.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Artie’s fuse gets shorter and Quinn finds out why.


	14. In Secure

14: In Secure

Artie’s fuse was getting shorter each day and Quinn wondered what was going on. She remembered the twins telling her that Artie had a temper, but she had never seen anything like this. Hell, even when Artie had those screaming matches with Anna, it wasn’t anything like what she was dealing with. Artie was getting upset over small things and completely blowing her top over them. 

“Why the hell didn’t you text me when you left for class?” Artie huffed as Quinn came in the room. Artie threw her massive arms out. The vein in her arm that Quinn once admired and fantasied about licking now just looked like it would burst from her rock hard arm. It seemed unhealthy.

“Art, I was running late and I needed to pay attention in class. Why are you taking this so hard?” Quinn asked with confusion scrunching up her face. She moved further into the room, wanting to put her bag down. 

Artie followed her, as if to loom over her. “Because I thought something happened to you! You didn’t text me and you didn’t respond to my text! What the hell was I supposed to think?” It seemed like everything she said was at a roar now. 

Quinn squinted at Artie, incredulous they were even having this discussion. “You were supposed to think everything was normal until something out of the norm happened.”

“You normally text me or call me or give me some sign that you’re alive!” Artie pointed out with fire in her eyes. A vein popped up in her now thick neck and it looked ready to burst.

“Artie, you’re overreacting.” Again. It was a tiresome trend.

Russet eyes flared with something beyond fury and Quinn had to admit to herself that it was almost scary to see. Was her girlfriend even still in there? It was like something had taken over Artie and was driving her now, driving her to act crazy.

“I’m overreacting? I’m overreacting for caring about you? Would you prefer I do like your ex-boyfriends and ignore you? I could suggest we take a break or call Vega while you try to have a conversation with me or a million other things! Would you prefer that?” Artie screamed, leaning down in Quinn’s face.

“Baby, I can’t talk to you when you’re like this. I don’t know what makes you like this, but I can’t,” Quinn said, shaking her head.

Quinn turned, walking by Artie. In the corner of her eye, she could see Artie reaching for her and she expected to be grabbed, but it never came. Glancing back, she saw Artie clutching her hand to her chest and there was a haunted look in her nearly black eyes. Something was wrong. Something was definitely wrong.

Quinn rushed out of the room, her mind trying to piece together what the hell was up with Artie. She was set to go to Morgan, tell her and see if she could come up with a theory, but she thought better of it. There was a much better person for this job and she rushed to that dorm, hoping someone was home.

“Quinn, what are you doing here?” Yvonne Ortega inquired as she opened her room door. A smile lit up her honey-toned face and her warm brown eyes were as welcoming as ever.

“I was hoping I could talk to Vega. Is she around?” Quinn countered.

Yvonne pouted a bit. “Sorry, today is her late day. She won’t be in for another hour. Is there something I could help you with?” She motioned for Quinn to step inside and she closed the door behind the pale woman.

Quinn sighed and ran her hand through her hair. “It’s about Artie. You’ve known her a while, right?”

Yvonne nodded. “Yeah. So, what’s up?”

“Okay, this might just be stress, but it’s getting out of control.” Quinn went to into the strange things that Artie had been doing, especially the bursts of anger, which were her main concern. “Just now, she was yelling at me for not calling her and she looked ready to grab me when I was walking away. I know from past experience that she doesn’t like that and she looked scared, like she knew she was about to grab me and managed to stop herself, so I know something’s up. I just can’t figure out what.”

Yvonne nodded again. “Yeah, that doesn’t sound like Artie. I mean, she used to have a temper like that, but not recently.”

“What do you mean recently?” Quinn swallowed as she felt a stone drop into her stomach. She was beginning to get an inkling of when Artie had that temper. 

Yvonne shrugged, bouncing her black hair. “A couple of years ago.”

 _Oh, god_. Quinn didn’t want to think it, but she knew what stopped a couple of years ago.  _Maybe it’s something else_.  _Maybe I’m just being crazy_. 

“Have you seen her recently?” Quinn inquired, even though she knew the answer to that.

Yvonne smirked as she went to sit down on her bed. “You mean more recent that last Saturday when we all dragged her to that party for an hour?”

Quinn laughed. “It was more than an hour.” Of course, not much more than an hour. Artie was a workaholic now and she couldn’t be away from her laptop for too long unless she was at class. She got grouchy and would walk back to the dorm if someone didn’t drive her back anytime they took her out, which wasn’t often.

Yvonne shrugged and motioned for Quinn to take a seat. Yvonne and Vega had a double dorm, but one of the beds was pretty much a couch. Quinn sat there, glancing around the now familiar space. The couple had plenty of pictures up, not just of themselves, but many with their families and Artie. Quinn had put up a few similar pictures of her and Artie around their room. Vega and Yvonne had a television on one of their dressers and their laptops were sitting on a messy desk. 

“You guys are going to be all right, right?” Yvonne asked in a quiet voice. She reached over and touched Quinn’s knee, watching Quinn with worried eyes.

“I hope so. I still love her, even if she’s acting bananas,” Quinn answered with a soft smile.

“That’s good. She needs you in her life and I like having you around. Those two need people to keep them in line.” Yvonne pointed to a picture of Artie and Vega, both flexing. It had to be an old photo because Artie was huge compared to Vega. Since going natural Artie was only a little bit more muscular than Vega, but in that picture, it looked like Artie could’ve crushed Vega. 

“How old are they in that? They look like babies,” Quinn giggled. It was amazing at how much those two matured in a few years.

“Babies indeed. I think they’re sixteen. They had to be the biggest sixteen year olds I’ve ever seen. I can’t imagine what it must have been like feeding them,” Yvonne laughed.

Quinn could imagine, having seen Artie eat now. She was ravenous most of the time, especially recently. That was something else that she put down to stress and also the fact that Artie often forgot to eat unless Quinn reminded her. Quinn and Yvonne casually spoke for a while and then the door opened. Vega stepped in and blinked in surprise when she noticed Quinn.

“Hi, Quinn. Where’s Art?” Vega looked around, obviously expecting to see her best friend. When her umber eyes didn’t find what she was looking for, she turned her attention to Quinn.

“She’s back at the room, hopefully cooling down. I wanted to talk to you about her. I think… I think…” Quinn glanced at Yvonne and shrugged, knowing whatever she said to Vega would get back to Yvonne anyway. “I think she’s on steroids again.” Yvonne gasped and put her hand over her mouth as soon as the words were out.

Vega’s head drew back a bit and her golden brown forehead wrinkled. “What? What makes you think that?” she inquired almost as if she thought Quinn was crazy, which made Quinn feel crazy.

“Is that what you think is causing the angry outbursts?” Yvonne asked.

“Angry outbursts? Who’s having angry outbursts?” Vega was trying to catch up.

Quinn wasted no time filling Vega in, wanting to know that she wasn’t crazy. Vega frowned as she told the story. The more she said, deeper the frown cut its way onto Vega’s face. By the end, Vega was making a tight fist and shaking.

“That fucking idiot. Why the fuck would she do this to herself again?” Vega huffed, pacing the small room. Growling, she made a fist and her muscles flexed.

“You think she’s…” Quinn trailed off, not wanting to say it again.

“It sounds like it. Lemme go see her,” Vega declared.

No one stopped her as she turned and left. Quinn wondered if she should follow, but look from Yvonne told her to stay put. Sighing, Quinn pulled her legs to her chest.

“I’m sure everything will be fine,” Yvonne said. Quinn could only hope. 

-8-8-8-8-

Artie shot up as her dorm door practically exploded open. She wasn’t really surprised when Vega stood before her because Vega was the only one that would dare to do such a thing. Vega was in her face almost as quickly as she was standing at full height.

“What the fuck, Artie? I can’t believe you’re doing this shit again,” Vega bellowed, shoving Artie hard in the shoulder.

“What the fuck are you going on about?” Artie countered with a glare.

“Don’t play stupid. Look how fucking big you are! How long have you been on this shit?” Vega demanded, stepping to Artie as if she was ready for war.

Artie’s nostrils flared as she glared down at Vega. Vega didn’t back down and gave as good as she got, scowling at her best friend. Artie felt like her muscles itched and she snarled in Vega’s face.

“What the hell are you going on about?” Artie said in a slow, deliberate tone, tapping Vega in the chest with her index finger.

“Are you seriously going to stand here and play around? Why the hell are you poisoning your body again?” Vega growled.

“I’m not poisoning my body,” Artie sneered.

Vega’s mouth dropped open. “Are you seriously just going to stand here and lie to my fucking face? I mean, like really? Artie, look at your body and tell it that you’re not drugs. Am I going to have to start babysitting your ass at the gym? What the fuck?”

Artie advanced, leaving no space between her and her best friend. They shared air, shared a breath. Vega still didn’t give an inch and Artie wasn’t about to leave. For a long moment, they just stood there, trying to mentally destroy the other.

“Why are you doing this?” Vega asked in a quiet tone, eyes locked with Artie’s. “Why are you destroying yourself?”

Artie’s jaw tensed and she swallowed before answering in a tone just as low, “I’m not. It’s not for just the muscles.”

Vega let loose a long exhale. “I know it’s not, but if you were serious about this, you’d go to a doctor. You’d do this the right way. You’re not and you accepted that before because you knew before. Why the hell are you backsliding?”

Artie didn’t say anything. She didn’t need to. Vega could read her mind, which was usually pretty annoying. Now, it came in handy because she didn’t want to admit the problem to Vega, didn’t want to call it a problem.

“For Quinn? Because if so, why the hell is she freaking out in my room with Yvonne if this shit is for her?” Vega growled, pointing behind her.

Artie blinked. “What?”  _That is a damn good question. Why the hell is Quinn freaking out with Tega? Quinn should like this._

“‘What?’ Really? That’s your brilliant comeback? This is the point you should be going, ‘oh, no Quinn wouldn’t do that because we sat down and we talked this out and she totally understands what I’m doing,’” Vega said in a mocking tone with a hand movement to go with it.

Artie snarled and grabbed Vega. “Don’t tell me how to act with Quinn. You don’t even like her!”

“It’s starting to seem like you don’t either. You know what the fuck this shit does with your temper. Do you see what the fuck you’re doing?” Vega shrugged her shoulders to get the larger woman off of her.

“I wouldn’t do this to Quinn.” Artie would never harm Quinn. Vega was different. “You’re practically my brother.” They hit each other all time. This was okay… right? 

Vega sighed. “Except I’m not. Art, I’m happy in my skin, happy with my sex, and happy with my gender. Tega’s happy with me, too. Are you really happy? I mean, what the fuck are you doing? Running yourself ragged and scaring the shit out of Quinn?”

Artie gasped and released her. “Scaring the shit out of Quinn?” _She’s… scared of me?_  

“She knows you damn near grabbed her. If this keeps up, I’m sure before the year is out, you will grab her.”

Reaching out without realizing it, Artie grabbed Vega’s shoulder in a crushing grip. “I wouldn’t hurt her,” she growled in a low tone. 

Vega winced. “But, it’s cool to hurt me? It’s cool to try to break my fucking collar bone?”

Artie roared and shoved Vega away, throwing her into the wall. Vega slammed into the wall and almost hit a full-length mirror, which belonged to Quinn.  _I would never hit Quinn,_  Artie screamed in her mind as she marched over to Vega, intending to make her pay for even implying that. Walking over to the mirror, though, gave her a moment to look at herself.

This wasn’t like looking at herself in the gym mirrors. She could see the wild look in her eyes. She could see how flush she was with anger and that allowed her to realize how pissed she was with Vega, so pissed she was ready to squash her best friend. All because Vega was worried about her and worried about Quinn.

“Shit,” Artie hissed and backed up, taking deep breaths. 

“Shit, indeed,” Vega muttered.

“The fuck, Vega? The fuck?” Artie asked, but she wasn’t even sure what she was asking. Glancing down, she could see her hands shaking. 

“Yeah, I’m guessing you forgot what you’re like on this shit and you seem worse this time. First and foremost, you need to talk to Quinn because I don’t know if she’s ready to put up with this. Hell, are you even ready to put up with this? I know you like what you see in the mirror at the gym, but when you’re not at the gym, what the hell goes through your mind? Are you really walking around now referring to yourself as ‘he’ in your mind?” Vega inquired.

Artie scratched her head and couldn’t help running her hand through her obscenely short hair. She was one trimming away from having a crew cut. Looking up, she looked at her body in the mirror again. On the surface, she did like her body this way. Her muscles were defined and cut. She looked powerful; she was powerful. But, then again, she liked her body before, too.

“What are you going to do, Artie?” Vega inquired in a low tone. 

Sighing, Artie eyed the floor. “I just want to keep her.”

“I think you have her. If this girl wasn’t in it for the long haul, I think she would’ve run out on you by now. Your temper is ridiculous. Instead, she’s worried about you and she came to me to try to figure out what’s going on with you because you’re not talking to her and you’re acting nuts.”

After releasing another sigh, Artie scratched her head again. “She’s… something else.” _Not only was she worried, but she stayed here, even with my temper_. _Am I worried over nothing?_

“Yeah, she is considering the first time I saw you like this and you bugged out on me, even I walked away and I’ve stuck with you through some dumb shit. I’m glad I didn’t have to deck you this time before doing that.” Vega gave her a teasing, lopsided grin. 

Artie forced out a laugh since she knew Vega was trying to lift her spirits. “You deck me while I’m like this, you know I’ll hit you back and break your whole head.”

“Yeah, but you’d regret it instantly and live the rest of your life in misery. Look, you need to talk to Quinn. She thinks you’re just on steroids and she’s worried about you, but she doesn’t know what to do. Why do you think it’s better this way?” 

“I’ll talk to her about it first. Once we settle it, I’ll let you know.” Artie patted her friend on the shoulder.

Vega nodded. “I’ll go tell her to come back then.”

Artie nodded and Vega left without a farewell. Artie let out a long breath and turned back to the mirror. She liked this body, but then again, she liked her other body as well. She had been happy with who she was. It had taken her a long time to get there, but she had been happy.

“I’m not happy like this,” she whispered. She wanted to be happy like this because she had been so certain this was the way to get her relationship to work. It seemed like she almost killed her relationship like this.

She didn’t have time to think about it too much as Quinn was back. She quietly opened the door and didn’t approach Artie. Instead, she leaned against the door and her eyes fell to the floor. Artie felt her stomach drop from Quinn’s demeanor. 

“We need to talk,” Artie managed to say.

“Yeah,” Quinn agreed, nodding. “What is going on with you? Are you… are you…?” 

“On drugs? On steroids?” _Yeah, guilty as fucking charged_.

“Trying to be a man?” Quinn blurted out. 

A light chuckle escaped Artie. “Vega talked to you, huh?”

Quinn nodded. “She said it wasn’t what I thought, but it was what I thought and you were doing it for a reason. I didn’t get it at first, but then walking over here, I remembered that you only just recently came to accept being a woman.” 

Sighing, Artie rubbed her head. She went to sit down at the desk and motioned for Quinn to sit on the bed. Quinn sat down and grabbed one of the pillows, hugging it close to her, like a barrier between her and Artie. The thought made Artie’s stomach twist even more.

“What’s going on? Why are you doing this?” Quinn asked, eyes glancing away from Artie every few seconds. 

“I… I don’t want you to be ashamed of me,” Artie confessed in a whisper. 

Chocolate eyes went wide and the pillow came down. “What? Baby, I’m not ashamed of you! I told you, I love you and I mean that. I love you.”

Artie shook her head and groaned in frustration. “I know. But, I also know you don’t like being seen with me and having people look at us, trying to figure out if I’m a guy or a girl. I thought… honestly, I thought it would be better if I was a guy. I mean, you like guys…”

“But, I love  _you_!” Quinn stressed, moving close enough to touch Artie, but not touching her. Quinn maintained eye contact, though. “Yes, I’ve been attracted to guys, but I love you and unless this is something you want, I don’t want you trying to change yourself because of idiots. I know I’m not comfortable outside yet, but I want to get there because I love you. I’m not ashamed. I’m just not used to it and I want to get used to it. I want you!”

Artie felt like such an idiot. “I just… I want… I want…” She didn’t even know what to say, how to explain things. “I want you to look at me and think ‘she’s handsome,’ and not some guy. I don’t want you telling me a guy is cute. I don’t… I don’t… I don’t know.” Holding her forehead, she shook her head.

Quinn reached out and took Artie’s hand, which made Artie look up. Quinn offered a small, encouraging smile. “No, you’re doing fine, sweetie. I do think you’re handsome. I’m sorry if I’ve been saying guys are cute. Even if I say it, it doesn’t take away from my feelings for you. I have never felt this way about any guy I’ve been with, even Thomas. I see myself building a future with you, baby.” 

Artie frowned a bit, even though that was supposed to make her feel better. “You saw yourself building a future with Thomas, too.”

“And Thomas left me for greener pastures. Are you going to do that, too?” 

“Hell, no!” Artie roared. She heard the sound of her voice and curled into herself. “Sorry.”

Quinn shook her head. “I’ve actually gotten used to you yelling.” 

That was troubling to hear. “Has it really been that bad?” 

“This is the thing that’s really bothering me. Artie, your temper is crazy right now and it’s getting scary. You’ve flipped out over the smallest things and I’m assuming it’s because of whatever you’re on to build your muscles also affects your mood.”

Artie scowled. “It does. I’m trying hormones… to look more like a guy. If I keep it up, I’ll even be able to grow some facial hair.” 

Quinn nodded and glanced away. “Is that… is that something you want?” her voice quivered a bit.

Taking a deep breath, Artie told the truth. “No. No, I don’t want that.” In the past, it had been appealing, but she was over that.

“Artie, if you do, if you still think of yourself completely as a guy and you want to… change your body… change your body to match that… I will stand by you,” Quinn stated, looking her dead in the eye. 

It was in this moment that Artie realized how truly lucky and how truly stupid she was. All she needed to do was talk to Quinn, to find out what was going on her mind. She didn’t need to guess, especially when she was guessing wrong. She took hold of Quinn’s hand and squeezed, wanting her to know everything would be all right.

“No, Quinn, I don’t want to change my body. It took me a long time to get comfortable in it, but I’m happy with it. Well, I was happy with it before I…” Artie just motioned down to her. “I was happy.”

Quinn squeezed her hand back. “And so was I. I don’t need you to be a man. I don’t need a boyfriend. Like it took you a long time to get comfortable with your body, but you were happy with it, it might take me a while to get comfortable with the stares, but I’m happy with you. You’re more important to me than any stranger on the street. I don’t want to trap you in my closet, though. What do I need to do to make this better?”

Artie shook her head and ripped herself from her chair. She crouched down on one knee, kneeling before this amazing woman that was willing to stay with her, even if she decided to continue on putting her body through Hell. It was beyond belief that Quinn was so strong.

“Baby, this is all me. I’m the insecure one. I did this because I was scared you’d leave me for a guy, that you wanted to be with a guy. A real guy, not some butch bitch who looks like a guy. I was scared,” Artie confessed. 

“Artie, first off, never refer to yourself as some ‘butch bitch’ again,” Quinn scolded her. “You’re a unique person and I love you for you, okay?”

Artie nodded. “Okay.”

Quinn reached out and ran her through what was left of Artie’s hair. “What makes you think I’d leave you, anyway? You’ve stood by me through so much, helped me through so much, and opened my eyes to so many wonderful things. What I have with you is fucking fantastic and I’m not ready to give it up, but I want you to be happy, too. I want to be there for you.” 

“You are!” Artie proclaimed. “Do you hear yourself? You’re willing to fucking stand with me if I want to be a guy. I don’t know a lot of women that would even think that, let alone say that shit aloud.”

Quinn smiled and put her hand to Artie’s face. “I mean it when I say I love you and I want you to be happy. If you really feel that you’re male and you want to look that way, then I’m going to stand by you. While I do think your body is hot, it’s not the main reason I love you. I love the person inside of you. I love the person who takes care of her family, who shares her bed with a four-year-old, who somehow makes it to every soccer and softball game, even when they’re at the same time. I love you and what makes you happy.” 

Artie sniffled and felt tears in her eyes. She didn’t bother to wipe them away, letting Quinn do it with her thumb. She held onto Quinn’s hand, squeezing softly once more.

“You’re so strong, Quinn,” Artie whispered.

A small smile settled on Quinn’s face. “You help make me this way.” 

“I love you and I’m sorry for putting you through this. I’ve always tried to bring up girls self-esteem that I like, but now I’ve got to bring up my own self-esteem. I will be better for you, for me. I’ve accepted who I am before and as long as you’re okay with me, then I’m okay with me. I just want to be the best person I can be and love you the best I can. I don’t like seeing you hurt or even uncomfortable.”

“And that’s sweet, but I’ve got to work on myself to become comfortable. You shouldn’t have to change your physical appearance for me if you don’t want to, especially if it affects your mood the way it does. Artie, you destroyed the room over books. I know you don’t want to be like that, be so out of control.” 

Artie nodded. “I’m sorry.”

“Is this why you keep using the… toy?” Quinn inquired, not quite comfortable with saying “strap-on” or “dildo” yet. 

“I just… I wanted to show you my dick is just as good as any guy’s,” Artie stated with a small smirk. Quinn blushed, of course.

“Artie, while you’re very good with your… uh, thing, I like the rest of you as well. I like being able to touch you, too.”

Artie nodded once more. “I understand. I messed up and I’m going to fix it. I also messed up by not talking to you about my insecurities. I’m new to relationships, so can you bear with me a little? I’m learning.” 

Quinn leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. “We’re both learning. There are going to be mistakes along the way, but I want us to make it, so we definitely need to talk, especially about big things like this.”

“Yes. I’ll try my best to stop being a bad puppy.”

Quinn groaned. “Please, don’t say that. I wish Yvonne hadn’t called you that.”

Artie smiled impishly. “That’s what she calls Vega, too, when she does something wrong.” 

“Well, I don’t like it. You’re not my puppy. You’re the woman I love, right?”

Artie grinned. “Yes, I am the  _woman_  you love. And I love you in return.” Sitting up, she embraced Quinn, careful to not squeeze her too tightly.  _I cannot lose this woman, but thankfully, she doesn’t seem too eager to go anywhere_.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: With Artie’s gender identity solved, Quinn wonders about her sexual identity.


	15. Ex Change

15: Ex Change

Quinn lay awake, wrapped in Artie’s arms. Artie rested soundly against her pillow while Quinn cuddled into her, staring into the darkness of their bedroom. They had fallen asleep after their emotionally draining conversation about Artie’s drastic change since they had returned to school.

Quinn couldn’t believe Artie was trying to be a man for her, trying to be a man to hold onto her. The crazier thing was her declaration that if Artie wanted to be a man, she would continue to love her and support her through that. She meant those words.

Deep in her heart, she knew if Artie wanted to get a full blown sex change with the hope that her body would match her mentality, Quinn would accept that, would support that, and would do her best to stand by Artie every step of the way. That was how much she loved her.

Of course, she was secretly relieved that Artie would rather keep her body as it was before. She liked the way Artie looked with her natural body. More than that, she liked Artie’s mood when there was no hormones or drugs involved.

But, her mind kept coming back to Artie’s body. She liked Artie’s body. Did that make her a lesbian? Did she care? She must care because she had thought of it before all of this other stuff happened.  _Am I a lesbian?_

This brought her back to wondering if she had been born gay. She didn’t feel like she had been attracted to women before. Before Artie, she had always been attracted to men. In fact, she thought that one of the reasons she had been able to go through with sleeping with Artie was because of her masculine energy and thick, muscular frame.

“Am I gay?” Quinn whispered to the night. “Does it matter?”

Again, she had to assume it mattered because it was on her mind.  _If I am gay, so what? I love Artie and I want to spend my life with her, so it’s not like it makes a difference. Of course, if I’m not gay and this is just an infatuation, then we’re headed for heartbreak and I could be setting us up for ruin_.

Turning, she tucked herself into Artie’s side while putting her arms around Artie’s waist. Running her fingers along Artie’s side, she sighed and reveled in the feel of her lover. Being against Artie was like coming home, being at peace, and feeling like the world would be all right. She couldn’t see how this could be a simple infatuation.

So, this brought her back to the original question – was she gay? As her eyes finally started to droop, she conceded two things. It did matter and she didn’t know. 

-8-8-8-8-

“Morgan, do you think I’m a lesbian?” Quinn inquired. The pair was in their dorm room. Quinn was picking up books and Morgan had a long break. They were each perched on their beds.

Morgan turned sharply from what she was doing and blinked as she stared at her best friend. “What?”

“Do you think I’m a lesbian?”

“Well, you’re dating a woman and you’re more in love with her than I’ve ever since you with anyone else, including Thomas. So…” Morgan trailed off and glanced downward.

“Yes?” Quinn guessed, not totally sure where her friend was trying to go with things.

Morgan shrugged. “Maybe. I mean, you seem really comfortable in this relationship, but I’ve never seen you look at a girl before Artie, who we can all agree isn’t much of a girl and doesn’t want to be much of one anyway. Maybe you’re bi.”

Sighing, Quinn rubbed her forehead. “Am I bi?” That somewhat made more sense than her being a lesbian, but she still wasn’t entirely sure.  _Is it bi when I’ve only been attracted to one woman in my life?_

Blue eyes rolled and Morgan scoffed. “Does it really matter? You’re with someone you think is awesome and she thinks you’re awesome.”

“Yes, it matters. What if this is all just some crazy infatuation brought on by the fact that Artie’s been better to me than any of my boyfriends?”

Morgan squinted. “And what the hell does that have to do with your sexuality?”

“What if I am attracted to men? What if eventually this wears off and I suddenly find myself unable to touch Artie anymore because I’m not actually attracted to her sexually?” Quinn pointed out.

“Are you serious? Isn’t the chance of the attraction wearing off in any relationship? That’s just a thing you deal with,” Morgan countered.

Quinn opened her mouth, wanting to retort, but coming up short. Morgan had a really good point.  _Maybe it doesn’t matter_. For some reason, it felt like it did, though.

“Sexuality doesn’t have to be a set thing,” Morgan added in.

Quinn couldn’t help arching an eyebrow. “Really? Because according to the Internet, people are born gay.”

“And according to the Internet, aliens built the pyramids. I don’t think we should be using the whole Internet as proof of anything beyond the fact that the Internet is fun.”

Quinn frowned a bit. “So, you don’t think people are born gay?”

Morgan chuckled a bit. “I’m sure some people are born gay, just like some are born straight, and others just float somewhere in between. Some might be more hetero and others might be more homo. Some people are attracted to qualities rather than physical features and that might be you. There are more than two types of sexuality. It runs the gamut. And just so you know, the whole Internet doesn’t say people are born gay.”

Quinn stuck her tongue out. “Trust me, I know.”

A soft chuckle escaped Morgan. “You looked it up, huh?”

“Yeah.”

Morgan leaned forward and rested her elbow on her leg while resting her chin in her palm. She watched Quinn for a moment. “I think that maybe you should talk this over with Artie, just like she should’ve talked about her crazy plan to change her sex with you. You can’t be upset with her for not talking and then not talk, right? Just talk it out. Hey, maybe she’s fluid, too.”

Quinn laughed. “I doubt that.” She paused for a moment and then gave Morgan a side-glance. “Are you fluid?”

There was a shrug. “I dunno. I mean, I’ve never dated a girl or anything. I’ve looked at girls, but maybe it was just what chicks do. I’ve kissed a couple of girls.”

A gasp escaped Quinn before she could stop her shock and she leaned forward, just enough to lightly shove her friend. “Shut up! When?” This was news to her.

Morgan waved the question off. “Random times. For me, it was nothing special. It actually taught me to stop getting drunk. The only thing worse than waking up next to some guy you don’t know is waking up next to some girl you don’t know.” She laughed.

Quinn’s jaw dropped open. “No way! I thought you said you only kissed.”

“We did, but I’ve passed out with one that I kissed. The first thing we both did was check to make sure we were both dressed and wearing underwear, begging each other to not panic. Hysteria plus hangover equals painful head-bashing together as we both try to flee.”

Quinn laughed. “That is some kooky math there, doctor.”

“Trust me, two screaming girls will make you forget math altogether. But, my point is that you can be fluid. I mean, think of it this way, Artie is fluid in gender. She’s not fully male, but also not fully female. You, not fully straight, but not totally gay.”

This one made sense to Quinn more than anything else. Artie had accomplished something that seemed even more impossible than fluid sexuality and Artie was comfortable with herself for the most part. Maybe it wasn’t so impossible.  _Maybe I should talk to Artie about this like Morgan said_.

“It’s weird, isn’t it?” Quinn asked.

Morgan took a long, deep breath with a dramatic pause as she now gave Quinn a sidelong glance. “Such is this thing we call life.” She and Quinn looked at each other and began laughing. 

-8-8-8-8-

“Hey, baby, I wasn’t expecting you so early.” Artie hunched over her laptop on the desk and squinted at the screen.

“I couldn’t wait to see you and I need to talk to you, but first and foremost, glasses?” Quinn inquired as she shut the door behind her.

Artie growled low in her throat, but began picking up papers, searching for her glasses’ case. Quinn clicked her tongue, trying to give Artie clues, or so Artie assumed. She checked behind a book only to get another tongue click.

“Desk drawer, baby, desk drawer,” Quinn said.

“Why are you so organized?” Artie pretended to whine as she opened the drawer and there were her glasses.

Quinn only chuckled and moved to give Artie a kiss. Once the affectionate exchange was over, she slid her glasses on and returned her attention to the laptop. She needed to get these papers done if she wanted to maintain her GPA and her sanity. Not to mention, she needed to get back to the papers that made her money if she wanted to save money to take Quinn out once they were clear for date night again.

“So, what do you want to talk about?” Artie inquired, eyes not leaving the screen, but her lover had her attention.

“Uh… do you think I’m a lesbian?” Quinn asked, moving to take a seat on the bed.

Artie immediately stopped typing because this clearly was going to need her full attention and not just her ears and the occasional comment. Turning in the chair, she reached out for Quinn and gathered Quinn into her lap.

“We’ve talked about this before. I don’t think you’re a lesbian from sleeping with a woman,” Artie reminded her.

“So, you think I’m straight? You did try to become a guy for me,” Quinn pointed out.

“That was about my insecurities more than my thinking you’re completely straight.”

Quinn’s brow furrowed. “So, you don’t think I’m completely straight?”

Chuckling, a small smile worked its way onto Artie’s face. “Not exactly. Babe, while I don’t think you’re a lesbian from sleeping with a woman, but you enjoy it just a little too much to be totally straight. And… I maybe didn’t think the way you went through boyfriends was totally normal.”

Quinn’s jaw dropped like she was part snake. “What? But, you said I was just attracted to jerks!”

“Well, yeah, but still, you went through jerks pretty quickly.”

Quinn snorted through her nose and turned it up. “Well, I’m sure your mom does, too. Is your mom gay _?_ ”

Artie snorted and rolled her eyes. “Sometimes, I think life would be easier if she was, but I’m sure she’d just meet asshole women if that were the case. Besides, I don’t know if my mom has actually slept with a woman and enjoyed being with a woman and, quite honestly, I will die a very happy person if I never know this.”

Quinn laughed. “Okay, I get that, but does it bother you that I might be straight?”

Artie rubbed her chin and then made sure she had a good grip on her girlfriend. “Uh… I did try to become a guy for you or did you forget that? But, I don’t think you are.”

“But, you don’t think I’m a lesbian either.”

“I do not think you’re a lesbian, no. Sorry.” Artie was surprised to see Quinn’s expression drop. She held her a little closer. “Baby, you want to help me out and just give me hints as to what’s the right answer here?”  _I don’t want to mess this up and turn it into a fight, especially when I don’t think it needs to be too serious_.  _I understand her wanting to understand her sexuality, but I don’t have the answers. I just have my thoughts_.

Quinn gave her a stern gaze and then smirked a bit. “What, so you can get confused like when I gave you hints about where your glasses were?”

“Okay, can you outright tell me the right answer then?” Artie asked with an awkward grin.

Giggling, Quinn playfully and lightly hit Artie across the shoulder. “You’re horrible. You know that? I mean, totally horrible.”

Artie hugged Quinn around the waist and tickled her a little. “But, you love me anyway.”

Quinn squealed. “No! I won’t love you if you keep tickling me.” She wiggled trying to get away, but Artie just halted.

“You can’t escape me, Princess. I’m a tickle master. You know that. Now, what brought this on?”

“I was just trying to figure out if I’m a lesbian or not. I’m scared that one day I might… I might wake up and not be sexually attracted to you. What if this is some infatuation because you treat me so wonderful? What if it wears off? What if one day I just feel like you’re my friend?” her voice quivered and she clutched tightly onto Artie’s biceps.

Artie rubbed Quinn’s back. “Baby, I will be honest with you, I’m scared of that, too. I’m scared one day you’ll wake up and realize you don’t want this, don’t want me.”

Brown eyes went wide. “How the hell do you deal with it and why haven’t you told me about it?”

“Well, mostly because I think it’s stupid. When I start getting scared, I remind myself that my mother has had plenty of people wake up and realize they didn’t want to be with her or with her family. She’s done the same. I watched friends in high school and in college break up and get together with a bunch of people over the years. While I’ve never been in a relationship before, I’ve always known they break up for a bunch of reasons. I just have to trust that everyday you wake up, you’re still happy to be with me. Just like I have faith that I’ll always feel this way about you.”

Quinn leaned in and kissed her. “You are so smart.”

Artie laughed. “Oh, yeah, so smart I was trying to become a man for you instead of talking to you about if you like me the way I am. Turns out, if we talked, I’d have found out that you like me as I am. And, just so you know, I like you the way you are, too. But, if you need to figure out if you’re gay or straight, I’m here for you.”

“Aren’t we a pair?”

“How do you mean?”

“Morgan said you’re fluid in your gender and I’m fluid in my sexuality.”

Artie nodded. “You might be. Look, I’m here for you while you figure it out. We can work on each other together. Or we can just be fluid together. How fun would that be?” she declared with mock enthusiasm and a lying grin.

Quinn laughed and leaned in for another kiss. Artie had no problem returning the affection, pulling Quinn closer. Quinn moved, shifting to where she was straddling Artie’s waist. While Quinn deepened the kiss and clawed at her t-shirt, Artie made sure to keep a hand on her back to keep Quinn balanced. Talking was halted in favor of kissing, which led to other activities that made Artie forget about her paper.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Artie gets herself into trouble after letting Quinn’s worries become new troubles for her.


	16. Break Fast

16: Break Fast

Artie watched Quinn for a moment longer than usual as she went through her morning routine before leaving for the gym. She had cut back on gym days, staying bed to just hold Quinn in her sleep. She was going to lose her new bulk and drop back to her size before her identity crisis. The size that both she and Quinn preferred, but she would miss her muscles. She looked good in the mirror at the gym, but nowhere else.

Reaching down, she brushed Quinn’s hair at off her pale face. Quinn had allowed her hair to grow long again, down her glorious back. Briefly, Artie just reveled in the feel before being smashed by the idea the one day her lover might not want her touch. She was bothered by the fact Quinn was bothered by the idea that she seemed to think she needed to be straight or gay, like those were the only options.  _With luck, she won’t drive herself crazy with this and I won’t go crazy again_.

“There are in betweens, Princess,” Artie whispered, leaning down to give Quinn a farewell kiss.

Quinn sighed in her sleep and Artie left for her workout. She wasn’t bothered by the idea that Quinn might be straight. Again, she was fairly sure that Quinn wasn’t. What was on her mind was that Quinn was definitely in between and might one day just find it easier to be with a man. The very thought caused her stomach to tremble and her throat to seize. While she was sure Quinn was braver than that now, she could never be sure of the future.

She recognized they still lived in a bit of a bubble. Yes, their bubble of normalcy was burst, but they hadn’t meant real consequences yet. Quinn might find it difficult to advance in her career being in a relationship with a woman, especially a woman most would assume was trying to be a man, like her parents. Quinn’s parents didn’t even know for sure they were a couple, but they were distancing themselves from Quinn more than ever. She wondered if Quinn would be able to handle the world doing that.  _Hell, would I be able handle seeing the world do that to her? Probably not_.

She wasn’t sure what she’d do in that situation. She’d probably try to change herself like before to try to hold onto Quinn, which would undoubtedly piss Quinn off. Making matters worse, she’d be utterly and completely aware that Artie was miserable because Artie would have to try to be more feminine that time around. Artie had no idea how to be “feminine.”

“Being in a relationship is just as hard and scary as I always assumed,” Artie muttered as she took a run on the treadmill.

She wished she could’ve stopped that comment because it reached the air. Now, she couldn’t stop wondering if relationships were exactly what she thought – doomed from the start, to always end in tragedy. Was she setting herself for heartache?  _Isn’t that pretty much what Quinn predicted? One day, she’ll possibly wake up and find herself not sexually attracted to me, wake up and not want me_.

The thought depressed her to the point where she didn’t make it to the free weights, which was usually her favorite part of going to the gym. She cut her workout short, not really needing more than what she did anyway. After showering, she went to grab something to eat. Usually, she went to her room and just ate something in there, but she didn’t feel up to seeing Quinn just yet. The last thing she wanted to hear was more talk of how Quinn might wake up and not like her.  _What if today is that day?_ The thought made her stomach drop.

She went to the cafeteria and grabbed some oatmeal and fruit.  _That should settle my stupid stomach_. As she was going to search for a table, she accidentally knocked into a petite girl, causing her to drop her food and books.

“Shit, my bad,” Artie apologized while leaning down to help pick everything up.

“It’s all right. I wasn’t watching where I was going either,” the girl replied as she leaned down to pick everything up as well. Her chuckle caused Artie to glance up.

Artie found herself gazing into the deepest, brightest blues that she had ever seen. An easy smile sat on a cherubic face with lovely, even-toned, olive skin. Artie’s breath hitched and she handed over the books with a shaky hand. She opened her mouth to speak.

“OW!” Artie screamed as she felt someone behind her viciously grab her ear. “Tega, what the hell? OW!” She screamed again as her ear was twisted. Only Yvonne would dare to touch her in such a manner.

“Come on, you!” Yvonne hissed, yanking Artie forward by her ear.

“OW!” She wouldn’t be surprised if Yvonne tore her ear off. She couldn’t understand how someone so small had so much power.

“You are such a bad, bad puppy!” Yvonne scolded her, pulling her out of the cafeteria. Artie wasn’t sure how she managed to hold onto her breakfast.

“What? What did I do? And can you please stop trying to rip my ear off?” she begged.

Yvonne snorted through her nose, but she released Artie. The taller woman pulled herself up to her proper height, not that it would protect her ears. She used her free hand to hold her good ear. If Yvonne was going to get her again, she’d rather the already pained ear be abused.

“What did you do? I know eye-sex when I see it! How dare you?” Yvonne demanded, shoving Artie’s shoulder.

Artie drew back and gasped. “Eye-sex?”

Yvonne fixed her with a stern glare. “Artie.”

Frowning, Artie turned her nose up. “It’s only eye-sex if she responds.”

Yvonne wasted no time reaching for her ear again and getting a yelp out of her. “Do you hear yourself? Why the hell are you flirting with some unknown female when you’re in a relationship?”

Artie opened her mouth, certain she was about to say something stupid, so she closed her mouth and rethought her response. “Tega, how do you know if your relationship is going to work out?” she asked quietly.

Yvonne’s expression transformed almost immediately, falling from a heated glare to cool compassion. “Oh, my god, you did something stupid because you’re scared.”

“I’m not… I didn’t…” Artie wasn’t even sure what she should protest. So, she folded her arms across her chest, needing to look tough.

Yvonne sighed and smiled softly at her. “Artie, you big goof, your relationship is going to work out if you work at it. First, you have to want it to work out. You want things to work out with Quinn, right?”

“Of course! I love her so much, Tega. I mean, I didn’t know you could love someone like this until I figured out what I felt for her. I mean, this is different from what I feel for my family, for Vega, and you. I mean, I love all of you, but this thing for her… it blows my freaking mind.” She put her fist to her forehead and then opened it slowly while making an explosion sound.

Yvonne shook her head. “Then what the hell are you in there doing flirting with some girl you’ve never met? You’re going to lose her behaving like this.”

Sighing, Artie dropped her hands while keeping a firm grip on her oatmeal. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’m just twisted in knots. I feel like Quinn thinks we’re going to fail. She actually said one day she might wake up and not be attracted to me.”

Yvonne arched an eyebrow. “And what did you say to that?”

“Uh… I told her to have faith, like I do.”

“And then what happened?”

“Well, I had faith until she brought it up and now it’s just eating away at my brain.”

“Eating your brain away?” Yvonne inquired, squinting at her, willing her to admit her earlier fault.

Huffing, Artie scowled. “Goddamn, it is. I can’t believe this shit. Okay, this is never going to happen again, but thank you for almost tearing my ear off,” she replied sincerely. “I can’t believe I did something this stupid and I don’t see how something I had so under control yesterday has melted my brain completely today.”

Yvonne patted her on the shoulder. “You just got scared when you found out you had a fear that you shared with your lover. You freaked out. It happens. What better not happen is me catching you having eye-sex anymore more with any other goddamn random women, all right?”

“Yes’m.” Artie nodded and then glanced down. “Uh… so what are you doing out here?”

“I was getting breakfast for me and Vega and saw you doing bad things. Vega is going to be pissed that you cost her some waffles.”

Artie winced and rubbed the back of her neck. “Uh… you’re not going to tell her about this, are you?” While it would take a hell of a lot for Vega to lose respect for her, she was fairly sure purposely sabotaging her own relationship like this would do it.

“I won’t tell her, Artie, but I need you to promise me that you won’t do anything like this again. You were lucky I was here, but I might not be there the next time. You have to give yourself and Quinn a chance.”

“I promise. Thanks for busting me about it. I do love Quinn and I want things to work and I have to have faith like I told her. I have to believe in us. She’s strong. She’ll stand by me,” Artie stated and she knew that was the truth. Quinn was strong, strong enough to be the first one to confess love, strong enough to talk to her about her body, and strong enough to declare that she would stand by Artie if she decided to seriously become a man. Quinn was so strong. “I need to become as strong as Quinn.”

Yvonne smiled. “I’m glad you know she has strength.”

Artie grinned. “Yeah, it’s one of the things I love about her.”

Caressing Artie’s arm, Yvonne continued smiling. “Art, you’re strong, too. You know that. This is just new to you and you’re worried about it. You know how to take care of things, though. Think of your relationship as one more thing you need to protect and take care of. Not just Quinn, but the relationship itself.”

Artie nodded. That made sense to her. She would never treat a person that mattered to her the way that she was treating this relationship with Quinn. She had to stop saying one thing and doing something else.

Leaning down, Artie hugged her friend. “Thank you so much, Tega. I think you might’ve just saved me from myself in more ways than one.”

“Then go back to your room and kiss your lady if she’s still there.”

Artie nodded again and trotted off. She ran to her room and was not surprised to find Quinn still in the bed since she didn’t have a class for another couple of hours. Leaning down, she placed small kisses on Quinn’s face. Creamy arms reached up and wrapped around her neck, even though Quinn didn’t open her eyes.

“This is an awesome way to wake up,” Quinn muttered against her lips.

“And I should wake you up like that every morning to let you know how awesome you are,” Artie replied as she climbed onto the bed and held herself up over Quinn.

“Promises, promises. You have class in about twenty minutes more than likely.”

Glancing at the clock, Artie smiled. “Thirty and I can definitely be a little late if you need special attention.”

Quinn smiled and began a fresh kiss, pulling Artie down to her. Artie was careful not to press her full weight on Quinn, but made sure they made contact, even with the blanket between them. Quinn moaned, which sent a pleasing volt through Artie. She was more than a little late for class.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: the couple make holiday plans.


	17. Planning Stage

17: Planning Stage 

Things calmed down between the couple as school took over their time. They found an easier rhythm around each other, especially now that they knew to talk more often. It wasn’t exactly like before school began, but they didn’t expect that level of comfort outside of their bubble. Quinn allowed Artie to take her out. They had gone on a double date with Vega and Yvonne, who did not mind being a sort of buffer zone between the couple and the real world.

“I have heard very good things about this movie,” Yvonne said while Artie and Vega purchased tickets. 

Quinn smiled. “Me, too. It took me forever to talk this big lug into seeing it.” She tilted her head in Artie’s direction.

“What did she have to promise you?” Vega asked, taking the tickets from the window. She handed two to Artie. 

Artie scoffed. “She showed me all of the positive reviews online and then promised I could pick the next movie.”

Vega shook her head. “Total novice move. You will never pick another movie again. _Ever_. Unless you’re hanging out with just me.”

Yvonne pinched Vega and Vega pretended to flinch. Artie and Quinn chuckled. Artie learned the beauty in double dating came two fold. One – people didn’t know she and Quinn were on a date, so they didn’t wonder about them being lesbians since it was a group outing. Two – Yvonne and Vega were enough of a distraction for Quinn to fail to notice the few stares Artie got. 

Artie’s plan was to work this in stages. This was the first stage. The next stage, which would happen on the next date, would involve casual touching. Once Quinn got used to casual touching, it would get more intimate as time went on until they could act like any other couple out on the town. She hoped it would work in a timely fashion, but she wouldn’t rush it. Hopefully, they had a long relationship ahead of them.

In the dark movie theater, things were different. Quinn wasted no time holding her hand and they shared popcorn. No one could see and then whisper about Artie, so it was fine apparently. Artie smiled. 

“I think we have to go to more movies together,” Artie whispered to Vega, who sat next to her on the other side.

“If you need us to tag along, just tell us,” Vega replied. Artie nodded. 

-8-8-8-8-

“What are we doing for Thanksgiving?” Artie inquired with an arched eyebrow, holding her phone away from her ear. She and Quinn were in her dorm room. Quinn lounged on the bed while Artie sat at the desk. 

Quinn glanced up from her book. “What do you mean?”

“I just assumed we’d go home, but Dite just reminded me that you do have a family,” Artie remarked with a chuckle. 

Warm brown eyes rolled. “The family that hasn’t called me since I left at the end of school last year?”

“I’ve seen you talking to your grandparents on the phone and you email with them. I thought you spend Thanksgiving with them. Did you do that last year? I mean, we weren’t really tight like this last year,” Artie commented.  _It would’ve been nice if we were, but I guess everything went at the right course if it got us here_. 

“No, I went home last year, but it was because my dad’s parents and his sisters came. They’re not going to do that this year. My aunt got a new house, so everyone will go to her.” Quinn shrugged.

Artie craned an eyebrow. “Including your parents?”

“Nope. My dad doesn’t get along with my uncle and Dad would never bother to deign and enter the home of a lesser man when he has a better home,” Quinn explained and probably couldn’t help rolling her eyes. 

Artie scratched her temple while her eyebrows knitted closer. “I don’t get it.”

Quinn waved it off and glanced away, almost in a way that told Artie she might never get it, she couldn’t get it. “I’ll explain it later, but you still have the twins on the line. Tell them we’re coming home for Thanksgiving.” 

Artie nodded and turned her attention back to the twins. “Hey, guys, we’re both coming home for Thanksgiving.”

“Awesome!” both teens shouted and it sounded like they high-fived each other, but Artie couldn’t be sure. She also heard other cheers. 

“Is the whole pantheon there now?”

“Yeah, everybody’s here.” 

Artie smiled. “Okay, good. I can say goodnight to all of you and then pass the phone along to Quinn.”

Goodnights tended to take almost thirty minutes, just for her. It would probably take longer with Quinn. Still, this was one of Artie’s favorite parts of the day because it felt like she was with her sisters. So, goodnights were said after Tia, Juno, and Diana all needed confirmation that Quinn would come home, too. She then passed the phone to Quinn.

Quinn grinned while speaking with the girls. Artie didn’t hear the girls’ side of the conversation, but from what Quinn said, she knew the girls were talking about any and all extraordinary things in their lives. Artie checked the time after a while. 

“Put it on speaker,” she told Quinn.

Quinn nodded. “Girls, you’re on speaker now.” 

“Why?” Tia asked.

“Because it’s time for you to start getting ready for bed and the two little ones should be in bed already,” Artie informed them. They all moaned and groaned.

“But, we’re not tired!” Juno complained. 

“Yeah!” Diana agreed.

“Tired or not, it’s bedtime. So, everyone say goodnight,” Artie ordered. 

“Goodnight,” all five girls groaned.

“Goodnight,” Quinn replied with a laugh. 

“Yes, goodnight,” Artie chimed in.

Quinn ended the call and dropped the phone on the bed. Artie got up and slid over to Quinn. She gathered Quinn in her arms and held her as Quinn quickly read through a chapter in her book. 

“So, you were saying about your uncle and your father,” Artie said, nuzzling Quinn’s neck briefly.

Quinn smiled and reached up, caressing Artie’s cheek. “Well, my dad looks down on my uncle. On all of my uncles actually, the ones his sisters married and my mother’s brother. Anyway, my dad would never go to their homes for any kind of gathering that could be done at his house. He thinks his house is the best and therefore he should always host. So, my parents will probably have Thanksgiving at home with my siblings and their significant others.”

Turning away to avoid sighing heavily on Quinn’s skin, Artie then pressed a soft kiss to the nape of Quinn’s neck. “You sure you don’t want to pop by? Just in case?”

“Just in case what? I know what everyone is doing. We could pop by and they can see I’m actually with you, so they can just stop assuming. It’s tiring.” Quinn released a long breath. 

“I’m not driving over there, so you can revel in the sick pleasure of ruining Thanksgiving for them,” Artie laughed.

Quinn couldn’t hold in her laughter either. “But, it would be so much fun!” 

“No, that’s not cool, Princess. If you’re serious about telling them, we can do that later, when you’re definitely serious about us.”

A wrinkle formed on Quinn’s forehead. “What do you mean?” 

“Let’s really share a dorm next semester. You practically live here already and I love having you around, even though I have to be cleaner or you’ll scold me,” Artie chuckled.

Quinn snuggled in closer. “I like being here, too, but can I talk it over with Morgan? I know I do live here for the most part, but I want to be sure she’s okay with it.” 

“Sure and if she’s not ready yet, I’m snatching you up next year. She’s just going to have to deal with that.”

“Next year?” Quinn echoed because Artie graduated in the spring. 

“My plan is to come back here for grad school. I might even go for two degrees. I know it’s really expensive and I wish my scholarships carried over, but it’s one of the best universities in the country, so it’s not like I’m wasting time. Besides, I want to be close to you and spend time with you.”

“Aw, that’s sweet,” Quinn cooed, turning her body to face Artie. 

“Unlike trying to become a man.”

“Yeah, that’s a step too far and this will be too if this wasn’t your original plan,” Quinn stated with a stern look on her face. 

Artie chuckled and peppered Quinn’s neck with kisses for a moment. “I know, I know, and the plan had always been to come here for grad school. You give me all the more reason to do so. I want us to work and I want us to be together. So, I’ve figured out that we have to give a little and get a little for this to work.”

A giggle escaped Quinn. “Baby, every relationship is about give and get.” 

“Hello, first real relationship. Totally new to this, but you shouldn’t keep all of your relationship expertise to yourself. Tell me stuff like this so I know.” Artie laughed and kissed Quinn’s neck more.

Pushing away playfully, Quinn tittered. “I hate to say this, as I know it’s a bit creepy, but can’t you draw on your relationship with your mother?” 

Artie frowned. “I guess, but it’s creepy. I hate really acknowledging that we had such a weird relationship.”

“Well, it could’ve been worse. I mean, imagine if your mother was…” 

“Can we not travel that road, please? But, I can draw on that for simple things, like paying bills and holding you if you’re upset and promising to punch your ex-boyfriend in the face, but not much else.”

Quinn nodded. “Hopefully, you won’t need to do that last one. Besides, I don’t want to remind you of your mother or things will get even worse. Just use your common sense, Artie. You’re a smart person. So, of course, a relationship is give and get. It’s like that with most friendships. You get something from Vega and you give something to her, right?” 

Artie leaned her head against Quinn’s. “But, what we have is more than friendship.”

Quinn put a hand on one of Artie’s hand and played with Artie’s fingers. “Yes, but the principle is still the same. I’m happy to know you’re willing to include me when thinking of your future, even though it’s a little overwhelming to know I’m a reason why you want to stay.” 

“You’re more than worth it, Quinn. Now, back to this talk of Thanksgiving. What about your mom’s parents? Do you ever celebrate with them?”

“Only if they came by the house and they didn’t often do that. They like having Thanksgiving with my uncle Maxwell. He’s my mother’s younger brother. He’s actually a pretty cool guy. He lives pretty far away, though.” 

Artie nodded. “What does your father have against him?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know my whole family history. I like my uncle. He’s nice to me whenever I see him. He’s married to a nice lady. It’s a little weird that she’s ten years younger than he is, but they’re nice.”

There was a shrug and Artie held Quinn’s hand to get her to stop fidgeting using Artie’s fingers. “Do they have kids?” 

Quinn shook her head. “No. I think that’s why my grandparents go to see them because it’s just them. But, his wife’s family goes to them, too. They like hosting, I think. I’ve gone a couple of times. My grandparents got me a ticket to fly there. It was nice.”

“So, when do you see your mom’s parents most of the time?” 

“Usually at Christmas. They’ll come to us for the day or sometimes Christmas Eve, dropping off presents and having dinner with us. They also use it as an excuse to check up with us in person, as we are their only grandkids.”

“So, do you want to go there for Christmas instead of coming home?” Artie asked curiously as she put her hand on Quinn’s stomach. She moved the soft camisole out of the way and caressed warm skin.

For a moment, Quinn purred from the contact and didn’t respond right away. “If we go, I’m going to tell them I’m in a relationship with you, which according to you will ruin the holiday.”

Artie laughed. “I don’t think that’s a great Christmas gift, no matter how much we love each other. This is going to come as a shock to them, even your parents. Assuming and knowing are two different things.” 

“Well, I want to tell them.” Quinn tilted her chin in the air.

“I understand that, Princess. I just don’t want you to do it at a moment where later in life you’re going to regret it. You’re not particularly malicious, so you’ll feel bad about ruining a holiday, even if it’s to let them know you love me.” 

Quinn stuck her tongue out. “Stop trying to save me from myself.”

“Hey, you don’t show me that unless you intend to use it.” 

Artie poked her tongue with her finger, pushing it back into her mouth. Quinn couldn’t leave well enough alone and licked Artie’s fingertip. Before Artie could pull back, Quinn wrapped her lips around Artie’s finger.

“Goddamn it, Quinn,” Artie growled, making no attempt to remove her finger. She could hardly believe her eyes and her body responded immediately. 

“I don’t want to talk about my grandparents or family anymore,” Quinn whispered.

“I don’t even know what those things are.”

Quinn gave her a sexy grin and Artie leaned in for a kiss. She wanted to know more about Quinn’s family, but she had time. Hopefully, she had the rest of their lives.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: the couple has their first Thanksgiving together.


	18. Family Outing

18: Family Outing

Thanksgiving came around quickly and Quinn was nervous about leaving. She thought of Artie’s house as ‘home’ and the pantheon as ‘family,’ but this was still overwhelming. Thanksgiving was a major family holiday. It was about togetherness and being a loving unit. The only time she felt like that on this holiday was when her grandparents were around. If her grandparents weren’t there, she felt superfluous. Would she feel like that again? After all, the girls weren’t her sisters. Andre and Tori weren’t her grandparents. Anna tolerated her at best. Did they really want her around for something family-oriented like this?

“Hey, stop thinking bad thoughts, Princess,” Artie gently ordered, stepping up behind Quinn. She pulled the smaller woman to her, pressed Quinn close, close enough to feel her heartbeat.

“Should I really come? I could just drop you off and go home,” Quinn offered, wrapping her arms around Artie. They stood in the dorm room. Quinn hadn’t even realized she zoned out until now.

Artie bent down, eyeing her with a furrowed brow. “Go home? You mean inside the house where the whole pantheon is waiting?”

Quinn smiled a bit. “I meant to my parents’ house. Will the whole pantheon be waiting?”

“Duh. Didn’t we just get off the phone with them? Didn’t Tia beg you to play her new game with her? Didn’t Venus say she wanted to go to the mall with you? Do you really want me to go on?” Artie pressed softly, caressing the small of her back.

The smile grew. “No, you don’t have to.”

“Like it or not, Quinn, they’ve imprinted on you. You totally belong to them now,” Artie joked, squeezing her just a little. “One of us, one of us, one of us,” she whispered in Quinn’s ear.

The gentle sensation of Artie’s breath on her ear made Quinn giggle. “All right, all right, all right. I get the point.”

Artie chuckled and squeezed her a little. “Good. So, I’m going to grab our bags and you grab whatever you need to help you get through the next couple of days. But, I want you to remember, you’re always welcome at home, no matter what the holiday or the circumstances. Hell, not to jinx us or anything, but if we didn’t work out, I guarantee you the pantheon would still want you around. They’d also blame me for a breakup and probably hate me, so you can never leave me or I’ll be in big trouble.” She placed several playful kisses behind Quinn’s ear.

Quinn laughed again. “You’ve succeeded in cheering me up. Quit while you’re ahead, sweetheart.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Artie kissed her neck and released her, going to put their bags in the car. Quinn smiled, feeling wanted and welcomed.

-8-8-8-8-

The sound of five girls screaming echoed through the entire house. “Art! Quinn!” In an instant, it seemed like all five of them had managed to embrace both college students, not even letting the pair get out of their coats. Quinn was certain they knew magic or something. And then they were all off, talking at the same time, running through their days at breakneck speeds.

“I got absolutely none of that,” Artie remarked with a laugh as she picked up Diana and Juno.

“Sure you didn’t,” Quinn said sarcastically.

“The Piglet is telling us about pre-k, the Bug wants me to braid her hair, Tia wants to play you in video games right now, and God only knows what the twins are going on about as their voices are exactly the same and they’re talking about two different things,” Artie replied, holding up two fingers.

“We do not sound the same!” Venus and Aphrodite objected and then gasped. They turned and glared at each other. “Stop copying me!”

“What’s that about?” Artie asked, leaning down to speak to Tia.

“They’ve been saying the same things a lot lately,” Tia answered with a snicker.

“It’s because we’re in the same class this year,” the twins hollered in frustration, throwing their hands up.

“How do those two things have anything to do with each other?” Quinn wondered aloud. Artie shook her head.

“Because we’re interacting a lot more,” Venus started.

“And finding we actually think a lot more alike than we could’ve imagined,” Aphrodite cried.

Quinn glanced at Artie. “This is a bad thing?”

“Hell, if I know.” Artie shrugged. The twins seemed to like being twins, but also seemed to try to be individuals. So, it was hard to say if they didn’t like thinking alike.

Diana gasped, but Juno said, “Art said a bad word!”

Not unexpectedly, Tori appeared out of nowhere and popped Artie on the butt. Artie jumped and yelped. Quickly, she put down her sisters and put her hands on her rear, covering it in case another swat was on the way.

“Nana!” Artie complained with a pout.

“You shouldn’t be saying things like that, especially right in front of them. What are you going to do if they repeat that?” Tori inquired, glaring at Artie.

Artie grinned. “They’d never do that because they know you’d pop their butts like me!”

“You need your butt popped,” Andre stated as he walked out. “How could you let your girl carry her own bag in?” he asked, motioning to Quinn’s shoulder, where her bag rested.

“That’s my fault.” Quinn held her hands up in surrender. “I insisted.”

“You shouldn’t be carrying your own bags. I raised Artie to be a gentleman,” Andre teased, smiling a bit. Artie smiled back, pleased that her grandfather could joke about it.

“You did a good job,” Quinn assured him.

He smiled and the college students made their way through the group to go put their bags down to Artie’s room. They draped their coats over a chair and then returned to the dining room area immediately. There was a lot of traffic between there and the kitchen.

“Art, are you making something for Thanksgiving?” Anna called from the kitchen.

Artie scoffed and Venus chimed in with a smart remark for her. “We don’t need her making those fake hot dogs and beans.”

“They’re not fake hot dogs. They’re healthy,” Artie corrected her as she flopped down into a chair at the table. Juno wasted no time climbing on her. Quinn took the seat across from Artie and Diana sat down on her.

“Oh, my,” Quinn grunted as the child made herself comfortable. “You are getting so big, Piglet.”

Diana grinned proudly. “I’m gonna be a big girl soon. I’m going to kindergarten and everything.”

Quinn chuckled. “Yes, you are. You’re getting so big.”

“I’m already big,” Juno declared, tapping herself in the chest. Artie had to laugh.

“What about you, Quinn? Are you going to make something for Thanksgiving?” Anna inquired, speaking to the kitchen entryway, as if she needed to look at Quinn in order to address her. Or maybe she needed to see Artie and remind herself why she needed to be kinder to Quinn.

“I don’t understand. What do you mean?” Quinn asked with her forehead wrinkled in confusion.

“We all make something for Thanksgiving. It’s a tradition,” Tia grinned as she raced into the kitchen.

Quinn looked at Artie, who smiled. “Go in the kitchen and ask my mom to explain it to you.” Artie waved her off.

Quinn nodded, knowing Artie was trying to bring them closer. She moved Diana to Artie’s lap and then walked into the kitchen to see Anna and her oldest three, not counting Artie, hard at work. Tori stepped inside as well.

“So, what’s this about?” Quinn asked, rubbing her forehead.

“It’s quite simple. We all make a dish or two that we’re good at to go with the turkey,” Anna explained.

“I’m making rice and beans and mashed potatoes,” Venus volunteered while in the process of peeling her potatoes.

“I’m making macaroni and cheese because someone says that chicken breast isn’t a Thanksgiving food,” Aphrodite sighed dramatically. She busied her hands by grating a block of cheddar cheese.

“Turkey is the meat of choice for Thanksgiving, Dite. We’ve been through this,” Anna chided the twin and shook her head. Quinn got the feeling this was an argument they had often.

“Not everybody likes turkey, though,” Aphrodite pointed out.

“That’s what your grandmother’s chicken wings are for,” Anna retorted.

“Fried chicken,” Tia cheered, making Quinn think there was at least one person in the house that didn’t like turkey.

“So, do you want to make something?” Anna asked Quinn.

“Uh… do you mind if I make ziti? I’m really good with pasta and I’m not great at many other things.” Cooking had never been Quinn’s thing. She had learned through trial and error at friends’ homes in high school. The one time she tried cooking at home, she had ruined the kitchen and her mother had gone ballistic.

“Ziti sounds fine,” Tori chimed in before Anna could open her mouth.

“Ziti’s good, too,” Tia cheered, earning chuckles from everyone in the room.

“We try to get all of the cooking done the day before, so tomorrow all we have to do is warm everything up and spend the day eating, which is what Artie and the twins will do. They will wake up, eat and won’t stop,” Anna informed her.

“We stop,” Venus insisted.

“To take naps,” Aphrodite added, finishing the sentence apparently if the glare from Venus meant anything.

“Yeah, which is why a problem we have every year. Tia’s probably going to follow right behind you three this year,” Anna sighed. Tia grinned and nodded, which only made her mother sigh again.

“Do I have to go to the store to get the material?” Quinn asked. 

“Yes, and can you pick up a few other things?” Anna requested. Quinn can’t help but wonder if Artie had called her mother and requested she include Quinn in everything because Anna was downright amiable right now. Her question actually got a smile from Tori, who left after that, like she realized she didn’t need to play referee.  _Maybe Tori spoke to Anna_.

Quinn agreed to go to the store and Anna wrote a list. While she waited, she noted how Tia was trying to move around the twins, who were not really letting her get any of the things that she needed. Quinn was used to this sort of behavior from siblings, though her own hadn’t really paid much attention to her. Of course, when they did pay her some mind, it was to tease and taunt her. To her, that was normal, much more normal than what she usually saw from the pantheon and how much they got along, especially with Artie. 

“Mommy! Tell Dite to give me the stupid pot!” Tia huffed as she jumped, trying to take a pot from Aphrodite, who held it over her head.

“Dite,” Anna sighed, but she didn’t look up from her task of writing a list. Aphrodite didn’t move. 

“Mom,” Tia whined, but she didn’t get much help. “I’m gonna tell Artie.”

The twins’ faces dropped at that line and quickly moved from Tia’s path. Aphrodite also handed over the pot. Quinn wasn’t surprised as she had seen plenty of that over the summer. The sisters often started with their mother when one of them was bugging the other, but Anna was always moving a mile-a-minute when she was awake and she rarely stopped to properly scold or discipline them. Artie handled that. Artie also handled punishments and rewards, too.

Anna handed over the list and Quinn retrieved her coat. She then headed to the door. Before she made it, she had two passengers. Juno and Diana were holding her hands, ready to go, coats on and everything. She didn’t even know how that happened. Artie was by her side before she made it to the car. 

“You don’t have to come. I can handle these two,” Quinn assured her lover.

“Yeah, but I can’t handle being in the house and hearing people complain that I never help,” Artie remarked with a chuckle. 

“Do you really never help?” Quinn inquired, opening the door and putting Diana inside. Juno sat down next to her. Artie buckled Diana in and Quinn handled Juno.

“I don’t make anything they eat. If I do cook, I make what everyone likes to call ‘fake’ food. If I cook, I do healthy stuff and they don’t want to eat that. It’s bad enough they can’t eat junk food often, but if I make something with tofu or soy, they’re ready to revolt. I bought almond milk one day and my Bug actually spit it out,” Artie replied. 

“It tasted gross,” Juno chimed in, twisting her face up in disgust. “Funny and gross.”

Artie chuckled and slid into the passenger seat. Quinn was surprised Artie was letting her drive, but she didn’t say anything. She was pleased to drive, even though she didn’t mind it when Artie drove. 

“Can we get cookies?” Juno inquired with a pleading grin as soon as they pulled up to the supermarket. 

“Oh, cookies!” Diana clapped.

“That’s not on the list,” Quinn replied with a smile as she and Artie helped the girls out of the car.

“But, we could still get them,” Juno insisted as Quinn grabbed a cart. Artie put Diana in the seat of the cart and put Juno in the cart itself.

“No, we really can’t. You’re not going to talk Quinn into getting you cookies, Bug,” Artie told her sister and leaned down to kiss Juno’s head.

Juno giggled and gave up her quest for cookies, but begged for other things. Quinn read from the list while pushing the cart and Artie located the items. Of course, Quinn noticed every now and then, someone stared at them. While the supermarket was in the neighborhood and there were familiar faces, there were people that didn’t know Artie and didn’t know what to make of her. Quinn took a deep breath, pretended not to notice, and continued reading.

“Hey, Princess,” Artie said. 

Quinn blinked as she realized her lover was speaking to her. “Yes?”

“You okay?” Artie inquired, studying her face. 

“Fine. Just letting my thoughts drift. You wanted something?”

Artie was silent for a moment, just staring at her. “You’re making ziti, right? Do you think you could make me a small pan with just vegetables? I’m gonna try to cut down on my red meat. I try to eat better when I’m back home.”

Quinn nodded. “I’ve noticed that. I could make it with ground turkey if you want. Maybe the girls will like that.”

“I still just want some with just vegetables. I’m going to load up on turkey. I promise you that.” 

Quinn chuckled. “I don’t doubt you on that.”

Artie grinned and placed a hand on the small of Quinn’s back. Quinn tensed, but took a deep breath to relax herself. As she felt Artie’s hand withdrawing, she caught it with her own and pulled it back into place. 

“I want to get used to it,” Quinn whispered.

Artie nodded as they continued on. Eventually, Quinn had to give into one of Juno’s pleas, allowing her to get a box of fruit snacks. Thankfully, they were made with real fruit and Artie didn’t object. Of course, once Juno got something, Diana needed to get something, too.

“Oh, how about that?” Diana pointed to some ice pops as they cut down the frozen food section. “Or that? Or maybe those?” She seemed to point to anything colorful. 

“Piglet, Quinn isn’t going to buy you everything, especially not with me standing right here. Pick something you have a chance at getting,” Artie told the child.

Diana pouted, which probably got her anything she wanted with her mother. It usually worked with Artie, too, but not always. Now was one of the times it didn’t work.

“Piglet,” she said sternly, which made Diana just pout even more.

“But, I wan’ stuff,” Diana whined. 

“You won’t get it with that tone,” Artie warned her. 

“But, Quinn said I could have stuff!” Diana kicked the side of the cart.

Artie frowned and took Diana out of the cart. “You listen to me, Piglet. You know you’re not going to get anything using that tone or throwing a tantrum. Now, if you want something, you have to pick one thing and then we’ll tell you if you can have it. Understand?” 

“Yes,” Diana mumbled. Artie didn’t put her back into the cart and Diana hid in Artie’s shoulder the rest of the trip. Quinn took control of the cart. Juno was sweet enough to pick something she thought her little sister would like. It was a pretty nice trip, despite the stares, until they got to the register.

“I’m telling you, that’s a guy. It’s gotta be. They got kids,” someone whispered in passing. Quinn knew they were talking about Artie.

“Sorry,” Artie whispered, stepping away, but Quinn caught her hand.

“Don’t be,” Quinn stated and Artie craned an eyebrow. “They think we’re a family.” She didn’t care if those people couldn’t figure out if Artie was a guy or a girl, but they thought Diana and Juno were their kids. For some reason, that touched her a whole lot more than the gender thing bothered her. Even the outside world could see a future for them. 

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Thanksgiving with the Brenners.


	19. Giving Thanks

19: Giving Thanks

The house was quiet, but smelled of a wonderful holiday to come. Everyone was down, having spent the day either cooking or wrangling unruly children and in some cases, both. Quinn was exhausted, but it was a good kind of exhausted. She settled into what was her side of the bed, by the wall. It was the same back at the dorm. Quinn knew Artie liked her there, so that Artie didn’t wake her up in the morning. Simple thoughts like that made her smile. 

Artie groaned as she slid into bed. “I don’t know what’s in the water around here, but the Bug refused to go down.” She let out a sigh as she settled her head on her pillow.

Quinn immediately molded herself to Artie’s body, throwing an arm over Artie’s chiseled stomach. Her fingers toyed with the ribbed cloth of Artie’s sleeveless t-shirt while she inhaled Artie’s freshly showered scent. “You know she’s excited.”

Artie put her hand on Quinn’s shoulder. “Yeah. What about you? You excited?”

“Of course. I’m looking forward to a Thanksgiving with no dirty looks or tension in the air. It’ll be nice if…” She trailed off, not wanting to finish that thought. She might jinx it. “It’ll be nice.”

“Yeah, it will,” Artie replied with a deep breath that evolved into a yawn as her eyes fluttered shut. Sometimes, Quinn worried that Artie would burn out. She did more than a twenty year old should have to do, but most of the time, she seemed to love it, seemed to think she was made for it.

Quinn reached up and caressed Artie’s neck. The soothing touch put her to sleep almost immediately. Quinn smiled, not yet ready to go to sleep, even though she was very tired. She just wanted to revel in the brilliant insanity of the day, shouting children, teenagers trying to find out where pots were, mothers trying to navigate around fighting sisters, threats from Artie and Tori about behavior, and Andre just watching with an amused as if nothing happening concerned him. Of course, Andre had been the one to get Diana and Juno to stop shouting all over the house.

Quinn had watched it all from a corner in the kitchen, until Tia had parked herself right next to Quinn. Tia hadn’t said anything to her, just stood next to her and worked on making a cake. For a moment, Quinn had assumed it was just for some kind of protection from the twins, but Tia had smiled at her for just a second and then Quinn didn’t know what to think. She still didn’t know what to think. She drifted off to sleep before she was able to figure it out.

When morning came, it seemed like a regular day in the Brenner household, except there was no breakfast smell hanging in the air. Instead, she could smell the turkey cooking. Yawning, Quinn sat up and noticed she was alone in bed. Frowning, she figured she slept through Artie and Diana waking up. _I wish they woke me up_. Once upon a time, her sleep was so valuable to her, but now she didn’t want to miss a minute with the Brenner family.

Upstairs, she could hear all of the life in the house coming from the living room. She decided to go into the kitchen, wanting to see if Anna needed any help. It surprised her that Anna wasn’t up. She guessed Anna was still on her night shift schedule and probably put the turkey in before she went to bed. Quietly, she made her way upstairs to the main bathroom, needing to brush her teeth and wash her face. After that, she joined the chaos in the living room where the sisters were all gathered, still in their pajamas.

“You’re cheating,” Tia screamed at Artie and tossed the remote on the floor. From the force of the throw, they were lucky a button didn’t fly off. All of the other girls looked at her and then at Artie.

“Hey, hey, hey,” Artie said, playfully popping Tia on the thigh. “Stop being a sore loser.”

“I’m not a sore loser! You’re just a goddamn cheater,” Tia shouted, pointing at Artie.

All the other eyes in the room went wide. The room fell deathly quiet. This was the first time Quinn witnessed any of the girls cursing in front of Artie. She was sure they did it with friends, maybe even each other when Artie wasn’t there, but never in front of her.

“Come on, you,” Artie said calmly as she climbed to her full height. She took hold of Tia’s hand. Tia didn’t pull away and she didn’t apologize, but tears were gathering in her eyes. The pair then walked out of the room and, by the sound of it, went upstairs.

“What’s going on?” Quinn asked curiously.

Aphrodite waved it off. “Tia’s a sore loser.”

“She can’t beat anybody at the game except Juno, who doesn’t like to play anyway, and she’s mad about it,” Venus added. The twins grinned at each other, as if proud to have each completed their own thought.

Quinn just nodded, even though she wasn’t sure what to make of that. Glancing at the video game in the television, she couldn’t even make out what they were playing. She had never been big on video games and over the summer the girls had tried to get her involved, but it still didn’t spark her interest. She didn’t have to dwell on that as Artie returned without Tia.

The game was turned off and Artie found some cartoon for the youngest pair. Juno and Diana quickly turned their attention from the coloring books they had to the television. As soon as Artie sat down, Diana crawled into her lap. Juno did the same to Quinn. The twins occupied themselves with magazines. Venus read about cars and Aphrodite had a video game magazine.

Tia wandered back in almost ten minutes later, pouting. She sat away from the group, in a corner where she probably couldn’t see the television. She didn’t say a word. Quinn glanced at her every few minutes, worried about her. Tia wasn’t one for quiet. None of the pantheon was, including the eldest.

“She’ll be all right,” Artie tried to assure Quinn.

Quinn nodded to show that she heard, but she wasn’t sure if that was true. She didn’t interfere, knowing Artie had disciplined Tia and that was why she was pouting. Still, it bothered her to see any of the girls in a funk. 

But, by noon Tia was back to normal. All of the girls were hungry, having skipped breakfast to make sure they had room for Thanksgiving dinner. Anna was up by then and practically had to fend her daughters off with a chair to keep them from eating dinner too soon.

“Dinner is at three! Not a minute sooner, you know that,” Anna said, blocking the door. A chair was beside her to make sure none of her daughters could squeeze by.

“But, I’m soooooo hungry,” Juno cried dramatically, sliding to the floor. 

“Yeah, so hungry,” Diana said, rubbing her belly. The sight was too cute.

“Dinner is at three every year. I told you last night to eat breakfast. Raise your hand if you listened,” Anna teased them. Of course, no hands went up. 

“Artie,” Venus said.

“Make Mommy let us in,” Aphrodite whined. 

“So hungry!” Tia threw her hands up.

“Gonna die without food!” Juno rolled around on the floor. 

“Mom, come on, we can eat some of the sides. We’ve been up since, like, seven this morning,” Artie argued, undoubtedly the ringleader in all of this and just as hungry as her sisters.

“I left not only cereal in plain view for all of you, but told you that there were frozen waffles in the freezer. You had five hours to eat breakfast. Five full hours,” Anna pointed out.

“Yeah, but we were waiting for Thanksgiving. It’s past noon, so now we can eat pretty much anything. Just let us eat some sides,” Artie requested once more. 

“No.” Anna was firm in a way that Quinn had never seen when it came to Artie.

Artie narrowed her gaze. “What about the ziti? We can start on that since it’s like a meal by itself.”

Anna folded her arms across her chest and looked Artie directly in the eye. “This isn’t a negotiation, Art. You guys can all sit down at the table and have the breakfast foods because you still need to eat breakfast. Why do we have to go through this every year? Just eat breakfast when you wake up like always. You’ll be hungry eight hours later, I promise you,” she informed them with such patience that it was clear she had this conversation with them every single year. 

Grumbling, the whole pantheon sat down at the table, as if they weren’t allowed in the kitchen at all. Quinn wondered if they weren’t because Anna went in and emerged moments later with bowls, cereal, and milk. She placed everything down in the middle of the table.

“If you want waffles, tell me now,” Anna stated. 

No one chimed in, apparently still determined to starve until dinner. They ate their cereal as if they were chewing broken glass. Anna managed to ignore them, even when Diana whined about wanting something more than cereal or waffles.

But, at three in the afternoon, everything was fine. Andre and Tori showed up an hour before dinner started and they took turns keeping the pantheon, including Artie, out of the kitchen. When dinner was finally served, it seemed that all was finally right in the universe and the gods had smiled down on them. They could barely sit still and make it through the rounds of what they were thankful for. As expected, they were all ravenous, having starved themselves the entire day, so they piled almost everything on their plates when they could finally eat, even the younger pair. After dinner, they returned to the living room, where they all fell asleep within the hour. The grandparents sat on the couch, watching a movie.

“Wow, you weren’t kidding about them,” Quinn marveled, watching all of the sisters lying across or against each other on the living room floor. She just stood in the living room entrance, surprised by how they were laid out.

“I’m sure you’ve gathered this is the most predictable day on our calendar,” Anna pointed out, coming up behind Quinn. 

Quinn nodded. “Do you need any help cleaning up?” 

Anna scoffed. “Clean up? Everything just needs to be covered. They’re going to wake up one by one and eat some more and go back to sleep for the next two days.”

It sounded weird, but Quinn could see that happening. “Wow. I guess you don’t have leftovers.” 

Anna chuckled. “You know there’s never leftovers anyway. Between Artie and the twins, you’d swear they starve everyday. They’re going to be the ones hovering over anything that looks like a leftover and make sure nothing’s left by Sunday. At least Artie has the body to explain her appetite, but the twins eat like they have hollow legs.”

A chuckle escaped Quinn. “Wouldn’t that be from growing?” 

Anna shrugged. “Their father was tall. Maybe they will be, too. They’re getting close to Artie’s height.”

Quinn could only nod, not sure what to do with the information. She hadn’t heard anything about the twins’ father and had never heard Anna mention any fathers, especially directly to her. For the moment, that seemed to be the end of the conversation. They began covering the food.

“So, why are you here again, Quinn?” Anna inquired, sounding curious. 

Quinn’s face scrunched up. “What do you mean?”

“Three vacations in a row. If Artie spent three vacations, especially the summer break, somewhere else, I’d climb the walls. I’d cry and call everyday to find out what’s going on, why she isn’t home, what can I do to get her home. Her sisters would think she was dead somewhere because that’s the only reason she wouldn’t be with them, but they’d call her every second until they knew for sure. Now, I can’t say if anyone has called you since I spend the day asleep and the evening moving in every direction all the time, but it just seems odd.” 

Quinn nodded. “I’m not missed if that’s what you mean.” 

Anna gazed at her with a furrowed brow. “How is that even possible?”

“I don’t know. I’m just not.” The people who did miss her kept in touch with her, but they wouldn’t be at her family’s Thanksgiving, so there was no reason to be there. 

Anna looked troubled by this. “You have a family, though, correct?”

“I have parents and siblings if that’s what you mean. But, I’m not being missed for not being there for Thanksgiving or the summer or spring break.” 

“I can’t…” Anna just shook her head.

“You can’t imagine it. That’s how I am with this sometimes.” Quinn motioned to the living room with her hand. “I can’t imagine it or even believe it, even after living here for the summer. Our families are kind of opposites. Well, except for grandparents. My grandparents are just as awesome as your parents.” 

Anna was silent for a while. “I’m sorry your family is like that. When things are rough, I always know I can at least count on my girls to be there. Before them, I always had my parents. Well, almost always.”

Quinn nodded, knowing she referred to when she was pregnant with Artie. Now knowing Andre and Tori, Quinn wondered if they had been serious about cutting Anna off when she was pregnant. It seemed way too extreme for them, but Anna seemed to believe they would have, even now.

They silently continued their task of covering the food and, when they finished, Anna went to have a nap, seeming a bit off kilter from being up early by her standards. Quinn wasn’t sure what she should do, so she got a book she needed to read for class and sat in the living room, watching the pantheon wake up, go eat more, and fall asleep again. It really was the most predictable day in the house. 

-8-8-8-8-

Artie was energized at the wrong time, but Quinn wouldn’t complain. She was wide-awake at midnight, looming over Quinn and kissing every inch of her. Quinn squirmed and sighed with each touch of those soft lips. Artie pulled away to grin.

“I love when you make those soft sounds,” Artie whispered before giving Quinn another gentle kiss. 

“Good to know, but isn’t it illegal to get laid on Thanksgiving?” Quinn teased. 

Artie chuckled. “Well, it’s past midnight, so it’s not really Thanksgiving anymore. Making things even better, guess who’s sleeping in the big bed tonight.”

“Piglet’s not coming down here?” 

“Nope. She’s decided to sleep next to Mom and I don’t care how many nightmares she has, she will not give that spot up. It’s rare for her to be able to do that.”

Quinn remembered over the summer that Anna kept her night shift schedule, even on her days off, so whenever she was awake, everyone else was asleep. Tia and Juno usually slept in “the big bed,” which was their mother’s queen sized bed. She wondered what made tonight different. 

“Is your mother asleep?” Quinn inquired.

“Nah, she’s up there working and reading, but those are things she can do in bed with the Piglet curled against her hip. She’s not going to hear anything going on down here, I promise you that,” Artie replied with a light laugh. 

“Well, that’s good to know.”

“Now, can we get back to the non-illegal activities of making love on the day after Thanksgiving?” Artie requested with a lopsided, childish grin.

Quinn laughed and gave into Artie, pulling her down for another, deeper kiss. This was too much to pass up. It was like the perfect end to the perfect day. 

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Quinn talks to Morgan about changing roommates next semester.


	20. Room Mating

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains two women in an intimate situation. If this is not your thing, come back for the next chapter.

20: Room Mating

Thanksgiving came and went quickly. Artie and Quinn returned to school late Sunday night. They tried to catch up on some work, but eventually just fell into bed. That was the start of an expected trend. School was coming to a close with only a few weeks left and were finals coming up by the end of that. 

Artie was busier than Quinn, churning out papers for others and her own work. Quinn tried to leave Artie to her work by spending more time in her dorm room with Morgan, who actually wasn’t there as much as either of them would have liked. But, she was there now as they tried to finish up some papers.

“How much does Artie charge for her papers?” Morgan inquired from her bed. Her eyes were on her laptop, which was nestled on her lap.

“Why, you want to hire her?” Quinn teased from her spot at the desk, her own laptop opened in front of her.

Morgan chuckled. “No, just curious.”

“I shouldn’t have even told you she does that. I don’t know what she charges. She told me, but I don’t remember. I know one paper is pretty close to a day’s work with her tutoring and she does a lot of papers.”

Morgan made a curious sound, like a humming grunt. “You’re cool with that?”

Quinn shook her head, even though she wasn’t sure Morgan was looking at her. “I’m indifferent to it right now. I don’t think she should be cheating for others, but she’s making a living and she needs to do that. I can’t tell her to get a real job. That’s not fair.”

“It’s not fair?” Morgan echoed, as if she thought that was a strange thing to say.

“It’s not. She’s been doing this for almost seven years to make a living. She’s known me a year and, yes, we’re in love, but she has a responsibility to her family. They need that money.”

Morgan let the subject drop after that. They sat silently again, the sounds of their typing filling the air. Quinn figured now was as good a time as any to bring up a touchy subject.

Quinn took a deep breath and turned to look at the blond. “Morgan?”

“Yeah.”

“You know Artie still wants to share a dorm with me.”

Morgan chuckled. “You do share a dorm with her. I can count on one hand how many times you’ve slept here.”

“Morgan,” Quinn said in a serious tone, causing her friend to look at her.

Laughing a little more, Morgan shrugged. “What? You do!”

“Morgan, she wants us to share a dorm for real, with my stuff there and only there, not all over the spot. And, well, I’d like to do that, but I’m not going to if you’re still bothered by the idea.”

Shaking her head, Morgan frowned. “Way to put this on me.”

Quinn’s eyebrows drew in, not expecting that response. “Come on, you know I didn’t mean that. I don’t want to leave you if you don’t want me to.”

The frown didn’t leave Morgan’s face. “Why are you putting this on me? If you want to live with her, then live with her.”

Resisting the urge to sigh, Quinn rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Morgan, I’m trying to think of you. Why are you getting upset with me?”

Morgan moved her laptop aside. “Because you have this great love of your life or so you claim and you’re acting like I’m holding you back. If you want to live with Artie, don’t let me stop you! Just do it, Quinn. If you want it, go get it and don’t use me as an excuse.”

Quinn flinched.  _Is that what I’m doing? Using Morgan as an excuse to avoid staying with Artie? Why would I want to avoid that?_ _Well, there was the fear that she might need space, but that had definitely proven false over the course of the semester._

“Sorry, Quinn. I’m glad you’re thinking about me, but it is an excuse. I’ll find another roommate. You need to do what is best for you and your relationship,” Morgan said, her voice gentler than before.

Quinn rubbed her forehead and then ran her hand through her hair. “Why do you think I’m using you as an excuse?”

Shaking her head, Morgan shrugged again. “Only you can answer that. I mean, I do think you’re worried about me, but I think there’s more to it than that.”

Quinn nodded and knew that Morgan wouldn’t offer much more than she already had. This was something that she needed to figure out on her own.  _Why would I need an excuse not to live with Artie? I practically already live with her_.

Swallowing, Quinn thought she knew the _real_ reason. “Morgan, do you think you could love someone, but be ashamed, too?”

Morgan stared at her for a long moment. “I do. Is that how you feel?”

Glancing away, Quinn sighed and her shoulders dropped. “I don’t like the stares we get when Artie takes me out. People whisper about her and I just want to run and hide.”

Morgan nodded. “I guess that makes sense. You’re self-conscious about your relationship because it’s not ‘normal’ and Artie’s not normal. You’re not used to that. You’re not used to being stared at.”

Quinn frowned, not liking that assessment. “I hate this idea that I have to get used to it.”

Morgan nodded. “Well, unfortunately, people can be assholes. You shouldn’t worry about them. If Artie makes you feel good, then screw those guys. They’re not your lover.”

“I can’t just tune it out. It’s embarrassing and I can’t figure out why. I know how Artie is. Hell, I love her for being brave enough to be herself, so why the hell does this bother me? It doesn’t make any sense,” Quinn lamented.

“Of course, it does. You’re not used to the attention and you don’t like all eyes on you anyway,” Morgan reminded her.

Quinn couldn’t argue that. She didn’t mind one on one attention, but she couldn’t stand crowds. But, knowing that didn’t make her feel any better about her reactions to being out with Artie.

“Do you think I’ll get over it?” She wondered if the hope she felt and that came through in her voice shined in her eyes as well.

Morgan gave her a small shrug. “Probably. I’m sure you just have to go out with her more. Sit through the embarrassment. The more you go through, the easier it’ll get. Focus on her and block everything out. If you can do that, I’ll bet you’ll at least have a good time with Artie.”

Quinn nodded. “You’re probably right about that. I can’t keep us locked up in the room.” Morgan chuckled and gave her friend a cheeky grin. Quinn groaned. “Cut it out.” She tossed a pillow at Morgan. 

Morgan barely dodged the slow projectile. “Wait, have you done that? I mean, last year, you two went at it like bunnies. Have you been doing that?”

Quinn frowned. “I’m not talking to you about my sex life.”

Shaking her head, Morgan clicked her tongue a couple of times. “Which means you’re not having much sex. What the hell happened? Is it because you’re bothered by being seen in public with her? Are you embarrassed and it’s affecting your sex life? Why the hell are you letting outside affect what you made seem like really good sex?”

Rolling her eyes, Quinn scoffed. “In the room, I don’t have a problem. Artie’s busy. She’s almost always working. Between her classes and those papers, she’s usually busy.”

Morgan’s forehead creased and she tilted her head slightly. “You’re not bothered by that?”

“No, I mean, we’re not doing it as much as we used to, but we’re doing all right. It would be hard to keep the pace we had before, but, like I said, we’re doing all right. Besides, we want more from each other than sex now.” They wanted so much more from each other.

A small smile settled on Morgan’s face. “That’s good. So, share a room with her. I’ll be fine and we’ll still hang out.”

Quinn nodded. “We’ve actually hung out a lot more this semester than when we were actual roommates. It’s actually pretty cool.”

There was a nod from Morgan and she smiled more. “Yeah, it’s pretty cool. That makes me even more comfortable with you really moving out.”

A soft chuckle escaped Quinn. She was glad that was settled. Now, she just had to tell Artie the good news. 

-8-8-8-8-

Quinn was surprised Artie was still awake when she came into the dorm room and it wasn’t a good surprised. A frown settled on her face when she saw her girlfriend hunched over on her laptop.  _At least she’s wearing her glasses_. But, the glasses didn’t hide the dark circles and lines under Artie’s eyes.

“Sweetheart, please tell me you actually showered and didn’t just crawl into new pajamas on a whim,” Quinn said, making her way over to the bed. She had the misfortune to witness that once and scolded her lover thoroughly until Artie slinked out of the room to shower.

Artie turned her head, kissing Quinn as a greeting while managing to keep her eyes on her computer screen. Quinn didn’t mind, cuddling into Artie. She was also in her pajamas, having changed while she was still at her room. She could smell Artie’s soap, so she knew Artie showered at least. Glancing at the screen, she saw that Artie was throwing together a paper for someone. It was really nothing more than cutting and pasting things from papers she had already written, but still, she was clearly going on fumes right now.

“Artie, you should be asleep. It’s past midnight,” Quinn pointed out.

“I’ll sleep when I’m done,” Artie replied, trying and failing to hold in a yawn.

“No, baby, sleep now. Finish this in the morning. You know you’ll wake up with plenty or time to finish,” Quinn said while reaching over and saving the paper for Artie.

Artie didn’t offer any resistance as Quinn shut the computer down and placed it on the desk. Artie watched her carefully, as if expecting something. Quinn eased Artie’s glasses off of her face and gave her a brief kiss for being so compliant. Artie smiled while Quinn put the glasses on the desk.

“Now, lie down,” Quinn ordered.

“Done and done,” Artie replied with a grin as she flopped down onto her pillow. Russet eyes then locked on Quinn, again as if expecting something.

“Awaiting the next command?” Quinn crawled over Artie to her side of the bed.

Artie laughed. “However did you guess?”

“You won’t like the next one, so let’s hold off for a moment, okay?”

Artie craned an eyebrow. “Why won’t I like the next one? Could you make it ‘kiss me’ or better still ‘fuck me’?”

Quinn couldn’t help laughing, considering what she and Morgan had discussed earlier. “No, those won’t be the next commands and if you don’t stop being so cheeky I won’t make that latter request until next semester when we’re proper roommates.”

Artie pouted. “You wouldn’t do that to me, right?”

“What, be your roommate?” she teased.

“Yeah, be my… what, wait?” Artie blinked and set up a little. “Be my roommate?”

Quinn smiled at her. “Yes, your roommate. We have Morgan’s blessing.”

Artie grinned and before Quinn realized what was happening, Artie’s lips were on hers. Her body responded automatically, kissing back and pulling Artie closer. Artie wasted no time crawling over her and pressing their bodies together. Quinn moaned as a hand crept up her chest and gently palmed her breast.

“What was that?” Artie asked, withdrawing just enough for them to share a breath.

“Baby,” Quinn sighed, arching against her lover, trying to get some friction. Usually, the move spurred Artie into action, but not tonight. No, tonight her love wanted to be a tease.

“What?” A smug smirk settled on Artie’s face as her thumb played with Quinn’s hard nipple.

“Please.”

“Please what?” The smirk grew as Artie nipped Quinn’s earlobe.

Quinn moaned again as Artie kneaded her breast and teased her nipple more. Her hips shot off of bed, seeking contact and relief with Artie. Artie shifted just enough, so that Quinn did not get what she desired. A loud whine escaped Quinn.

“Artie, please,” Quinn begged.

“Please what?” Artie whispered in her ear before tracing the shell of Quinn’s ear with her tongue.

Moaning again, Quinn bucked against Artie once more. “Please, make love to me.”

Artie grinned again. “And you said I wouldn’t like the next command.”

Quinn’s gaze narrowed. “What did I say about being cheeky?”

Artie’s response was to lean down and ravage Quinn’s mouth with her lips and tongue. Quinn loved every second of it, clutching unto Artie’s back, digging her nails into her back. Artie moaned into her mouth, making Quinn’s body move on its own. This time when her hips came up, Artie met the motion. The friction ignited a blaze in Quinn and she needed them both naked immediately. Pulling away, Quinn yanked at Artie’s t-shirt, pulled it off of it, and did the same to her own shirt.

“Mine,” Artie growled before attacking Quinn’s bare breasts with her mouth and hands.

A breathy moan escaped Quinn as she wrapped her hands around Artie to hold her in place. While caressing Artie’s muscular back, Quinn panted at every touch from strong fingers, loving tongue, and talented lips. There would be marks, but that was fine. She was Artie’s to mark, to love, to please, and be pleased by. It all felt so marvelous and delicious. The room filled with mews and pants from Quinn and almost greedy noises from Artie, which only made Quinn crave her more.

“Pants gotta go,” Artie decided after what seemed like an eternity in Quinn’s cleavage.

Quinn only nod, trying to catch her breath as pleasure continued to buzz through her. Artie quickly removed her own shorts and then Quinn’s bottoms. Quinn wasted no time pulling Artie back to her, needing to feel that powerful form pressed against her skin. Artie hissed upon contact and began a fresh, heated kiss. Quinn melted into her.

Quinn bucked her hips as she felt Artie’s fingers crawling down her stomach. She whined as Artie stroked her slowly and her hands searched for something to grasp as pleasure surged through her. One hand clutched Artie’s side and the other latched onto Artie’s small breast. Artie groaned.

“Yes, touch me, Princess,” Artie whispered.

Quinn didn’t verbally respond, only pulling Artie back to her for another deep, loving kiss. While she couldn’t will her hand to leave Artie’s breast alone, as it was a uniquely fascinating part of Artie’s anatomy, her other hand managed to creep down Artie’s body and dipped into her. Artie was warm and wonderful as always.

For a moment, Quinn remembered when this was denied to her. Being with Artie was amazing, but being able to please her like this was something more. She wouldn’t have been able to go on for long without being able to touch Artie like this and she wanted to believe Artie wouldn’t have been able to go on long without her touch.

Artie moaned into her mouth, but did not break her rhythm. Quinn did her best to keep up, but found it difficult. Artie’s fingers were just too talented, working inside of Quinn perfectly. It was hard to concentrate, especially as each movement of not just Artie’s fingers, but her lips, tongue, and body in generally brought her closer to paradise. Eventually, she gave up and her hand fell away.

“Oh, god. Yes, baby. Yes,” Quinn sighed as joy spread through her. Her body went taut and she mewled for the heavens to hear as beautiful ecstasy washed over her.

Quinn fell to her pillow as she fell off the edge, body shaking with delight. She more felt Artie kiss her forehead than anything else. As the world came back in focus – looking brighter than ever – Quinn watched Artie settle in her spot. She wasted no time pressing herself to Artie’s glistening body.

“You need me now, baby?” Quinn whispered, her hand at Artie’s bellybutton.

“You know I do.”

“I love touching you,” Quinn said as her hand dipped lower and her fingers were coated in passion once more. She wasn’t very confident in her lovemaking skills yet, but she had a few months of practice and guidance from Artie.

A soft moan escaped Artie as Quinn slowly rubbed her, up and down. Quinn leaned in for a kiss, which Artie eagerly gave. Quinn swallowed her lover’s sounds as Artie moved against her hand. Quinn adjusted herself to feel more of Artie’s body, moving her free hand to massage Artie’s breast. She enjoyed rolling Artie’s plump nipple in her fingers.

“Oh, god, Princess,” Artie purred as she rolled her hips in time with Quinn’s fingers.

Quinn smiled to herself, knowing Artie was close. “Can I go inside?”

Artie moaned. “Don’t have to…”

Nodding, Quinn just gave Artie what she knew Artie liked. Adding pressure, Quinn placed gentle kisses all over Artie’s face before nuzzling her face in Artie’s neck. She moved her lips close to Artie’s ear and said words that never failed to send Artie over the edge.

“I love you,” Quinn whispered and Artie was gone, throwing her head back.

Quinn watched as Artie’s skin flushed and she relaxed. Quinn left her hands where they were and Artie didn’t move them when she came down from her high. They smiled at each other and Quinn caressed Artie’s cheek while Artie grabbed her around the waist.

“Morgan thinks our sex life is on the decline,” Quinn commented with a laugh.

Artie chuckled. “At least we know she doesn’t have the room bugged. But, she can think whatever she wants since we have her blessing.” Artie held Quinn tight.

Quinn made a cooing sound and settled against Artie, who unsurprisingly fell asleep within seconds. Quinn smiled. She looked forward to properly sharing a room with Artie. 

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Artie gets some relationship advice from Vega.


	21. Money Talks

21: Money Talks

Artie groaned as she woke up. Silently, she cursed, not wanting to wake up Quinn. She should get out of bed and get to the gym, but she really didn’t want to. She had the feeling often, not wanting to leave Quinn’s warmth. She didn’t get enough time to just enjoy being near Quinn, holding her.  _And that’s my fault_.

Artie had taken on a lot of work over the fall semester. In some ways, it was worth it. When Quinn was comfortable with the idea of them sitting in a restaurant with a lot of whispers around them, she had plenty of funds for that. Of course, she’d need time for it, too. 

“But, I guess that’s one of the things that people in couples have to work out. I have to figure this out. I want to have time and money for her,” Artie murmured and kissed Quinn’s forehead.

Quinn moaned and her eyes fluttered open. She smiled and Artie smiled back. A pale hand came up and caressed Artie’s cheek. Artie rubbed her face in the soft palm and then placed a tender kiss to the heel of Quinn’s hand. 

“Good morning,” Quinn said in a scratchy voice, moving her hand to cover her mouth as she let out a small, practically delicate yawn.

Artie couldn’t help thinking how cute Quinn looked when she yawned and she resisted the urge to climb back into bed to cuddle with her. “Good morning to you. I’m surprised you’re up. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“I’m glad I’m up. I get to enjoy you watching me sleep,” Quinn joked. 

Artie chuckled. “You act like you don’t do it in the middle of the night.”

Quinn reached over and stroked her lover’s cheek. “What are you thinking about?” 

“Time wasted, now and then.”

Quinn’s creamy forehead wrinkled. “What do you mean?” 

“I just wish I had more time to spend with you and that’s what I’m really reveling in now. I should spend more time with you like this instead of going to the gym or…” She wasn’t sure what else she could give up, but she just wanted to be around Quinn more often.

Quinn gave her a tender smile. “Or not do your work or business? Don’t worry, sweetheart. I understand. You have work to do. I also have work to do, but this is your last year. I know you have so much to do. There’ll be time over the break.” 

Artie smiled, even though that didn’t make her feel much better. “I know.”

Quinn must have noticed Artie wasn’t as comforted by her words. “Sweetheart, school will be over within a matter of weeks. Perhaps, before we go home, we should take a little weekend trip. It’ll be like our day at the beach.” 

“But, cold,” Artie laughed as she gathered Quinn up in her arms. 

Quinn wasted no time snuggling into Artie. “I’m not suggesting we go to the beach, but just a little trip. Somewhere. Anywhere we can be together, alone.”

Artie grinned. “I like that suggestion. Can we afford something like that?” Unless it was extremely expensive, like a real vacation, they should be able to do it, but she’d wait to see what Quinn came up with. 

“I’ll look it up and tell you the price.”

Artie nodded and pressed Quinn closer to her. She wondered if she should tell Quinn how much money she’d saved. She probably should. She’d ask Vega later. Vega would help her figure out some of these relationship things. She hadn’t seen enough of Vega this term anyway and Vega liked to help. It made her feel useful and gave her reasons to brag.

Artie remained cuddled against Quinn until Quinn fell back to sleep. Lying Quinn back down, she covered her girlfriend with the blankets and kissed her forehead again. She eased out of bed and went about her business, thoughts of vacationing with Quinn keeping her happy. During the noon break, she met up with Vega, who looked a bit frazzled. 

“You okay?” Artie asked with concern as they found a quiet corner in the student union to have lunch.

“Yeah, just getting ready for final papers, projects, and actual finals. Tega’s been hard to live with for the past couple of days.” Vega shrugged before biting into her veggie burger. 

“Why?” Artie shoved some sweet potato fries into her mouth.

Vega waved off her question. “Nothing big. She’s just complaining about stuff. It happens from time to time. I’ve learned to ride it out, which sometimes involves tuning her out, which she doesn’t like.”

Artie nodded. “So, you’re not fighting?” 

Shaking her head, Vega took a bite out of her sandwich. “Nah, not really. It’s just what happens when you live with someone. You know, like every now and then with your sisters.”

Artie nodded again because in that context it made sense. “That’s good. I’m still trying to get a handle on this relationship thing. I was hoping you’d school me.” She smiled as she unwrapped her own burger. 

Vega ate some of her sweet potato fries and laughed. “The teacher has become the pupil. Well, what do you want to know, bud?” Even though she held a teasing grin, she was serious.

Artie took a moment to eat a large piece of her burger before going into what she wanted. “Well, first off, I’ve saved up a lot of money this semester by taking on way more papers than I usually do. I upped my price, too. I was wondering should I tell Quinn?” 

“About the money?”

“Yeah.” 

“Well, I guess if you feel your relationship is that close. Does she tell you about her money?” Vega asked and then she ate more of her lunch. 

Artie nodded. “Yeah, Quinn’s pretty open about it. I know the days her grandparents send money and I know the amount. If it changes, she tells me. She’s pretty up-to-date about my tutoring and even asks me about how it’s going and stuff. I’ve told her about the papers, but she doesn’t seem interested. So, now I wonder, should I tell her about what I saved up? Does she care?”

Vega’s golden brown face twisted a bit as she turned her mouth up, thinking it over for a second. “I’m sure she does if she tells you about her money. I think it’s the way you make it that bothers her.” 

“It does,” Artie confirmed. “So, she does care, but she’s trying to ignore the way I do it, which is why she never asks. That makes sense. So, I should tell her. All right.”

Vega laughed, loudly, as if this was the funniest thing she had ever heard. “You in a real relationship is something else. I’m glad to see you sticking with it.” 

Scoffing, Artie rolled her eyes. “You always worried.”

Vega gave her a sidelong glance. “Could you blame me?” 

Shaking her head, Artie took another huge bite of her veggie burger. “You worry about strange things. I was happy fucking around.”

Nodding, Vega conceded that point. “Aren’t you happier now?” 

Artie had never thought to compare. She wasn’t sure they could be compared. It was like apples and oranges.

“If I had to choose, I’d take this,” Artie reasoned. That answered the question, right? 

Vega frowned. “Not the ringing endorsement I expected. Is there something you dislike about your relationship or Quinn?”

Artie shook her head vigorously. “No, it’s different and I like it. I won’t say it’s better, though, as they aren’t the same. I’d take Quinn over those, though. I love her.” 

“But, you won’t say being in a relationship is better than fucking around?” Vega arched an eyebrow.

Artie shrugged. “It’s not the same thing. It’s like if I asked you do you prefer working out or eating burgers. They’re not related really. You like them.” 

Vega shook her head. “I don’t think that’s a fair comparison or representation of what I’m asking.”

“Look, just know I love Quinn and I’d take her over anything I used to do before her.” 

Reaching up, Vega patted her on the shoulder. “Then share your life with her. Share everything with her.”

Artie nodded and enjoyed how warm that advice made her. “I will.”

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: With the semester over, Quinn and Artie take a trip.


	22. Bed In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains two women in an intimate situation. If this is not your thing, come back for the next chapter.

22: Bed In 

School came to a close. Papers were done and final exams were taken. Quinn had planned a little trip for her and Artie, using Artie’s credit card. It was in that moment that she found out Artie was very careful about her credit and her credit limit. They had a short conversation about both of their credit scores. For some reason, this was very gratifying.

“I’m going to go tell Morgan bye, okay?” Quinn told Artie while Artie grabbed their bags. The room was mostly packed up and in Quinn’s car. Whatever was left was tucked under Artie’s arm, on its way to the car.

“No problem. I’ll be with Vega and Tega,” Artie replied.

Quinn nodded and made her way to Morgan. The blond was all packed up to leave, but thankfully still in her dorm room. They flopped down on the cleared bed and grinned at each other.

“I can’t believe we made it through another semester,” Morgan sighed, a smirk tugging on half of her mouth.

“Yeah, time is flying by,” Quinn said. This was a good semester, though.

Morgan threw an arm around Quinn’s shoulders, giving her a one-arm hug. “I’m glad you’re getting away from here instead of trying to cram in a winter course. I kinda love Artie just for this.”

Quinn laughed and gentle shoved her friend. “Well, Artie’s taken, so that love better stay platonic.”

Morgan giggled. “Oh, it will. Now that I know I don’t have to worry about your relationship, I’ll start worrying about my lack of one.”

“Don’t try to act like I was holding you back.” Quinn playfully shoved her friend once more.

Morgan chuckled. “Never that, my dear. But, I truly am happy that you’re leaving and you’ve got some place good to be for the break. I don’t know what they do to you at that house, but I think it suits you. You always seem so happy when you come back.”

Glancing at the ceiling, Quinn felt a grin overtake her face. “They love me.”

Giving one more one-arm hug, Morgan held Quinn close for a second. “And that’s something we all deserve.”

Smiling, Quinn nodded. “Yeah. Thanks for pushing me.”

Releasing Quinn, Morgan waved her off. “Girl, I didn’t do anything. Just make sure you call me over the break. Don’t let me get lonely.”

Quinn laughed, as that was a huge joke. Morgan had a large family and once she went home, she lost herself in a dozen cousins her age. She called Quinn whenever she had a spare moment to check on Quinn, but she was never lonely.

“I’d never,” Quinn promised, grasping Morgan’s hand.

-8-8-8-8-

“So, Quinn’s not going to spend Christmas with you?” Yvonne asked with a sorrowful pout as she tucked herself against Vega to combat the winter chill. Apparently, Yvonne’s puffy, long coat and hat just were not enough. They stood in the parking lot with Artie.

“Nah, she’s going to her parents’ to see her grandparents. She’ll drive out to us the day after,” Artie answered, waving the question off. Despite the cold and the fact that her fingers were red from the weather, she didn’t put her hand in her coat pocket to warm it up.

“Are you going with her?” Vega asked, arm around Yvonne’s waist and her hand in Yvonne’s pocket. They were undoubtedly holding hands in the pocket, which Artie always thought was cute and now wanted to try it with Quinn.

Artie shook her head. “No, because if I go, she’s going to come out with specific intention of ruining their holiday.” 

Vega laughed. “Her family gets on her nerves that much?” She stopped laughing as Yvonne glared at her.

Artie nodded. “Yeah. I really don’t like the idea of her going alone, but she insists it’ll be all right. Of course, it worries me more as that’s how a lot of horror movies start out. Plus, I hate the idea of her driving alone, especially if it snows or something.”

Yvonne smiled. “You’re a good girlfriend, Artie, but don’t worry so much. You have to trust her.”

“I do, but I just…” Artie sighed and scratched her forehead. “I want to protect her. I don’t want her to get hurt in any way.”

“You’re a good girlfriend,” Yvonne repeated and patted her on the shoulder. 

“So, we’ll see you back home?” Vega inquired.

“Give us a couple of days. I let Quinn set up a surprise and it’s for the next couple of days.” Artie grinned. 

Yvonne and Vega laughed. “That’s good. You let her do it with your money?” Vega asked.

Artie couldn’t help nodding and grinning with pride. “Yeah. I told her about my money and asked her to do a little get away for us since we didn’t really go on any dates.”

“All right, Artie. I’m so proud of you and this romantic side you’re trying to grow,” Yvonne declared with a grin, clapping her gloved hands.

“Enjoy whatever she has planned then. Call us when you get into town,” Vega said and she took Yvonne’s hand again, shoving them back in Yvonne’s pocket. Laughing, Artie nodded. 

-8-8-8-8- 

“So, what are we doing? Where are we going?” Artie asked, practically bouncing in her seat. She wasn’t accustomed to riding shotgun in Quinn’s car, as Quinn usually let her drive.

“You’ll see when we get there.” Quinn’s eyes were focused on the road.

Artie sighed. “I just wanna know. Did you call the girls and tell them we’ll be home late?” 

Quinn rolled her eyes at the silly question. “Of course, I did. They wanted to know why.” 

That didn’t surprise Artie. “What did you tell them?” She worked her way out of her coat, finding the heat in the car to be too much.

An amused smile worked its way onto Quinn’s face. “That we’re going away for a romantic weekend and unless they wanted to hear about gross lovey-dovey stuff they shouldn’t ask anything else.” 

Artie laughed. “That worked.”

Quinn gave her a sidelong glance, more than likely because she took her coat off. “Surprisingly enough, yes. I was scared the twins or Tia might ask some questions or say something smart, but nothing.” 

“They know better.”

Quinn chuckled. “That they do. Are you going to keep your coat off?” 

Shrugging, Artie smirked. “It’s hot. You’ve got the heat pumping.”

“It’s cold, sweetheart,” Quinn argued. 

Artie shook her head. “So, where are we going?”

Quinn laughed. “I swear, you’re like a big kid sometimes.” 

“Just one of the many things you love about me.”

A soft, peaceful smile settled on Quinn’s face that said it all. Artie reached over and grabbed her hand. They held hands the whole drive, which was just over two hours. They pulled up to a large house that looked like a cottage, but it was much too big. Artie read a sign as they drove up the driveway.

“Amenity Bed and Breakfast. We’re going to stay here for the weekend?” Artie asked, even though that was obvious. 

“Yes, we are. It’s nice from what I saw online. We get breakfast delivered, lunch is a buffet, and we’re on our own for dinner, but town’s a five minute ride away.” She sounded almost disappointed in that. “Our room has it’s own private bath, a fire place, and we get complimentary chocolate.”

Artie smiled, noting that almost everything had to do with staying inside. It being December and nippy, Artie didn’t mind the idea of staying in. She decided to mess with Quinn a little, though. 

“That’s all well and good, but what kind of activities do they have? Can we go hiking in the woods?” Artie inquired.

“Why would we go hiking? It’s freezing and there’s snow on the ground! And since when do you hike?”

Shrugging, Artie somehow managed to fight down an amused smirk. “I figure it might be a good thing to try while we’re in the woods. Do they have horses?” 

Quinn scrunched up her face and her shoulders sagged. “What? I dunno. I didn’t check. I just thought we’d stay in the room most of the day.”

Artie couldn’t stop the smirk now as she feigned a gasp. “Why Quinn did you plan to take advantage of me?” 

A playful smile settled on Quinn’s face. “Maybe.”

That “maybe” was upgraded to “definitely” when they were secure in their room. Artie didn’t even have a chance to look around when she stepped inside. Quinn attached herself to Artie, lips to mouth and hands around her waist. 

“Not wasting any time, huh?” Artie teased. 

“We only have tonight and tomorrow.”

“Then we better get to it.” Artie laughed, not that this was a laughing matter. Tonight and tomorrow wasn’t nearly enough time. 

“What do you think I’m trying to do?”

Artie only smiled and Quinn moved them over to the bed. It was a beautiful bed of dark wood with scarlet sheets. Artie fell back as Quinn’s mouth was on her again. Somehow, they made it onto the bed without breaking their kiss. They couldn’t accomplish that same measure when it came to taking off their shirts. 

“Damn your sweater,” Artie groaned, having trouble getting the cardigan over Quinn’s head.

Quinn giggled. “It’s caught in my hair.” She wiggled, managing to free herself. 

Artie’s shirt was easy enough to remove, as it was only a long-sleeve t-shirt. Pants and undergarments followed. Their lips reconnected and Artie tried to flip them, so that she was on top. Quinn didn’t allow it, though. 

“Let me,” Quinn requested.

Artie smiled and settled against the headboard. “Do your thing, love.”

Quinn grinned and set her course, kissing her way down Artie’s naked torso. Her hands caressed Artie’s sides, pulling soft sounds from Artie’s throat that she would’ve been ashamed of with anyone else. Quinn’s mouth learned to do wicked things in such a short time, tasting her nipples and sending wild heat through her.

“God, you’re good at that now,” Artie breathed. Before Quinn, she didn’t care if a lover touched her breasts or not. They weren’t important, but Quinn knew just what to do to send little bolts through her via her nipples.

Quinn paused and arched an eyebrow. “Now? Do you mean to imply I wasn’t before?”

 _Ouch. I used to be much smoother than this_. Artie smiled. “Sorry, I’m an idiot. Your mouth actually makes me stupid, so I don’t know what I’m saying.”

Quinn chuckled. “Almost a good save.” She let Artie off the hook by returning to Artie’s aching nipples.

Artie sighed and melted into the mattress. She squirmed a little as Quinn remained at her breasts for a while, playing with them, getting to know them more intimately than any other person on Earth. The way Quinn appreciated her breasts made Artie happy to have them for the first time in her life. 

“I like this,” Artie purred.

“I like this, too,” Quinn remarked, giving a little lick to Artie’s nipple before moving on.

Quinn dragged her tongue down Artie’s chest to her abdomen. She traced the cuts of Artie’s muscles, placing wet kisses in places where her tongue paused. Artie ran her hand through Quinn’s beautiful, silken locks. Quinn looked up at her. 

“I love your body. I remember when I first saw you working out. A vein in your arm was sticking out. I wanted to taste it, run my tongue along it and just savor it,” she admitted.

Artie groaned at her words and felt herself throb. Licking her bottom lip, she pictured just that. Her eyes slid closed as Quinn continued her descent. She didn’t have a chance to get lost in that image, though. Not that she really wanted to since she had Quinn right now, working magic on her body.

She shivered feeling Quinn’s wonderfully soft skin slide against her. She bit her lip when Quinn’s mouth was upon her, suckling her. Her breathing increased as Quinn lapped at her, long, broad strokes, causing more and more pleasure. This was more than enough for Artie, but then her finger slid inside and that was the end. Artie’s hand fisted in Quinn’s hair as her entire body pulsed and ecstasy washed over her. There was a burst of color before her eyes and she felt like her entire being floated away.

When she regained her wits, Artie felt Quinn curled up by her side. Smiling, she ran her fingers through Quinn’s hair. Quinn moved a leg over hers. 

“I love your hair. It’s soft,” Artie whispered.

“Oh, but doesn’t it hide my back from you?” Quinn teased.

Artie chuckled. “That is a terror. I do love your back, but your hair is wonderful, too.” She stroked the back of Quinn’s hair. 

“So, am I good at this now, as well?” Quinn asked with a smile, fingers dancing against Artie’s abdomen.

Artie groaned. “Damn it, I’m not going to live this down, huh?”

Quinn’s fingers caressed Artie’s bicep. “I forgive you, sweetheart. I’m sure I’m still quite the sloppy lover.”

Artie held her closer. “You’re perfect.” It was the truth. Quinn smiled.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Artie’s turn… or is it Quinn’s turn? Whichever the case, more of these two enjoying their time alone.


	23. Bath Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains two women in an intimate situation. If this is not your thing, come back for the next chapter.

23: Bath Time

Quinn moaned loudly, throwing her head forward into the pillow, muffling the noise coming from her. It did nothing for the headboard hitting the wall. Pleasure coursed through every nerve ending, making her body sing. It was punctuated with a sharp tug of her hair, forcing her head back up. Artie wanted to hear her. She wouldn’t let Artie down. With the next thrust, she didn’t hold back, crying out with all the bliss she felt. Clutching the covers in tight fists, Quinn felt like she was coming apart.

Artie’s palm glided across her back and Quinn purred. Suddenly, she was empty, deprived of her beloved. A short, displeased whine escaped her before Artie flipped her onto her back. She spread her legs while Artie effortlessly pulled her toward her desire. She cried out as Artie was upon her again, moving frantically inside of her. Artie’s thumb stroked her in time with each thrust, earning more moans from Quinn. Pleasure didn’t even begin to cover this act of sheer beauty. Within seconds, Quinn saw stars dancing in front of her eyes. 

Reaching up, Quinn grabbed Artie’s broad shoulders, which were slick with sweat, needing the anchor or surely she’d fly off into space. As she calmed down, Artie leaned in for a kiss, her hips still moving. Quinn whimpered in the kiss. 

“You want me to stop?” Artie asked, her lips a breath away.

Quinn gasped as a particularly delightful jolt went through her. “Never.”

Artie smirked and her eyes lit up. Quinn held on as Artie adjusted herself, moving to a more comfortable position. Artie let loose, driving into Quinn at a pace they both loved. Quinn dropped her arms, throwing them above her head and moaning with each move, shuddering as Artie pulled her hips, and made pleasure seem like it was the only thing that existed in this world. Artie palmed one of her bouncing breasts for a moment, kneading the flesh and flicking Quinn’s nipple. Before long, the stars returned and Quinn was out of breath. Feeling Artie’s light kisses to her jaw brought her back to Earth. 

“Hey there,” Artie whispered with a smile. She glowed with accomplishment and from a thin layer of sweat.

“Hey,” Quinn replied before moving to kiss Artie’s lips.

Artie stared at her for a second, trying to gauge if Quinn could go again. Quinn could feel her eyelids drooping, so she wasn’t surprised when Artie eased out of her. Still, she mourned the loss, especially when Artie moved away from her. It was only a moment, but felt like eternity. 

“You’re getting better at that,” Quinn teased as Artie cuddled up close to her.

Artie laughed, settling Quinn against her. “Better at what, holding you or fucking you just right?” 

“Don’t be smug.”

Artie chuckled and began to shiver. It was cold. The chill bit against Quinn’s overheated flesh. She moved to pull the blankets over them and tugged herself close to Artie. With her head on Artie’s shoulder, Artie played with the ends of Quinn’s hair. Quinn sighed, loving the warm naked flesh pressed against her. 

“Want to try out the bath in a little while?” Quinn asked.

“Whenever you’re ready.”

“Want to eat those strawberries with me in the bath?” Quinn nodded toward the small complimentary basket of strawberries and chocolate. 

“I’d rather eat you, but if I can’t, I’ll take those.”

Teasing, Quinn arched an eyebrow and smirked. “Can you hold your breath that long?”

Artie laughed. “I’d sit you on the side of the tub.” 

Now, Quinn’s brow wrinkled in confusion. “But, I want to be in the water. This doesn’t sound fun on my part.”

Artie craned an eyebrow. “Really?” She caressed Quinn’s stomach, sending tender ripples through her. “I must be doing it wrong.” 

Quinn laughed. “Maybe.”

Artie gave her a grin. “How come you get to be cheeky, but when I do it, I get scolded?” 

Quinn only smiled in return. They lay there for a few minutes before Artie braved the cool air to find them both robes. Quinn didn’t accept the robe. Artie smiled at her, knowing just what she wanted.

“Where did you throw my shirt?” Artie asked, but she didn’t need an answer, finding it at the foot of the bed. She handed the shirt to Quinn.

“Thank you.” Quinn quickly slid the shirt on. She rubbed the fabric against her and then got up to go into the small bathroom with Artie. Artie grabbed the strawberries and chocolate.

“What’s all this stuff?” Artie asked, picking up a bottle in a basket on the sink counter. 

“Bath stuff.” Quinn scanned the basket’s contents.

“Like what? I thought you just needed bubbles.” 

Quinn laughed and kissed Artie. “I love you.”

Artie's forehead wrinkled. “I love you, too.” 

Quinn smiled; Artie was so cute and she didn’t even know it. “You just stand there. I’ll run the bath.” She doubted Artie would know what to put in the bath, beyond bubbles.

Quinn ran the water, added bubble bath, bath beads, and a couple of other things. There were scented candles in the basket, too. She hoped there was a lighter in there because neither she nor Artie carried one. Luckily, there was one. 

“They actually put a lighter in that thing?” Artie asked.

“That’s good for us and other non-smoking couples,” Quinn set the candles on the counter and reached for the lighter.

Artie chuckled, but stopped when Quinn took off her shirt. Quinn smirked, tied up her hair, and slid into the water. Artie wasted no time following, easing in behind Quinn. Quinn rested against Artie’s back. Artie settled her head against Quinn’s and her hands caressed Quinn’s sides. Eventually, a hand crept up to Quinn’s neck and slid down her spine.

“You really like my back, huh, sweetheart?” Quinn asked, even though that was obvious.

“I love it. Do you know you have a cute little freckle here?” Artie pressed her lips to an area on her right shoulder and began to nuzzle her neck. 

“Do you wish my hair didn’t cover it?” Quinn knew Artie liked her hair, but she suspected Artie liked her back more.

“Why? Do you plan to cut it?” Artie only sounded curious, not eager as Quinn thought she would. 

“No. I like my hair with some length. I want it to be long enough for you to pull it,” Quinn admitted before she realized what she was saying. She tensed, unsure how Artie would react to that.  _What if Artie thinks I’m a pervert?_

Artie continued caressing her back. “You like it when I pull your hair?” Again, she only sounded curious. 

“Um…” Quinn took a deep breath. “Would you think I’m weird if I said yes?”

“No, I’d just make a note of it. Do you want me to do it more often or harder? Most of the time I do it, I’m not thinking about it, but that could change.” 

Quinn turned around, needing to look at Artie. Russet eyes seemed sincere. She could trust Artie, even with this embarrassing detail about herself. She turned back around and Artie went back to rubbing her back. 

“Artie, if you like my back so much, why do you always flip me back over when I’m close?” Quinn asked since they were now on the subject of their sexual relationship.

Artie laughed. “Because I like to see your face. It’s beautiful all the time, but there’s something about the way you close your eyes and open your mouth slightly. It’s breathtaking for me. Watching your face get all flushed, it’s like you’re lighting up.” 

“Oh.” Quinn didn’t know what else to say, but she knew it was safe to speak her mind without judgment. “You make me feel so beautiful.”

“You are, babe. You’re so beautiful.” Artie leaned down and kissed behind Quinn’s ear. 

“And I’m lucky to have you,” Quinn said, taking one of Artie’s hands into both of hers. She just held Artie’s hand, hoping somehow her love flowed through her and into Artie. They were quiet for a while, feeling each other breathe along with the caress of the hot water and bubbles. 

“This feels really good. It’s nice,” Artie said.

“Yes, it is.” 

“Can we come back here some time?”

Quinn smiled.  _I’m so happy she likes this little place_. “I’d like that. But, let’s stay in the now. We’re still here.” 

“That we are.” Artie brought a strawberry to Quinn’s lips.

Quinn wasted no time biting into the large piece of fruit. Juice dripped down the corner of her mouth. Artie’s hand moved Quinn, so she turned around. Once she was facing Artie, Artie leaned down and kissed the corner of Quinn’s mouth, taking away from of the juice. Whatever escaped was quickly collected by Artie’s tongue. Quinn moaned and pressed herself against Artie. 

“You made that look good,” Artie said before finishing off the strawberry.

Quinn turned around. “Not as good as you made it look.” She leaned in for a kiss.

“You taste way better than strawberries,” Artie said, going in for another, deeper kiss.

Quinn moaned. “You, too, but we have to finish those strawberries and maybe even start in on the few chocolates they gave us.”

“We will. But, first, we definitely have to make love in this bath.” 

Quinn couldn’t find fault with that logic. Pressing herself against Artie, she started another kiss. Artie groaned and ran her hands over Quinn’s back before sliding one hand to her breast. Quinn whimpered and moved to pepper Artie’s jaw with kisses. Shifting, she moved to straddle Artie’s thigh and pressed her leg against Artie. Artie groaned.

“I got you, baby,” Quinn whispered, hands on Artie’s shoulders to hold herself up. 

“No, I got you,” Artie replied, hands now on Quinn’s hips.

Quinn’s head fell down as she rocked against Artie, whimpering in her ear.  _God_. This was just right, nice and slow and steady after she had just had the ride of her life. Artie turned her head, capturing Quinn’s lips in a sloppy kiss. Quinn returned it and moved with more purpose, adding pressure. Artie groaned into Quinn’s mouth and Quinn swallowed it down. Artie’s hands wandered from her hips to her breasts, cupping them. 

Quinn pulled away. “Do you prefer my back or my breasts?” she teased, still moving against Artie’s muscular thigh. She tried her best to stay pressed against Artie, needing please Artie along with herself. The bottom of the damn tub made it hard, but she was determined. 

Artie panted. “I like all parts of you. Shit,” she hissed and squeezed Quinn’s breasts, sending jolts of ecstasy through her.

“Shit!” Quinn cried out loudly. She buried her face in Artie’s neck, breathed her in as she rode Artie with reckless abandon. Her breath hitched and her grip on Artie went slack as pleasure shook her body.

Quinn probably would’ve drowned if Artie weren’t there. She tucked her head under Artie’s chin and listened to Artie’s heartbeat, surprised it was going so fast. Her hand made its way between Artie’s legs and moved slowly with the intent.  _God, I love how she feels. I can’t believe how good it feels to be inside of her_. Artie cooed and tightened her hold on Quinn. 

“This is okay, right?” Quinn asked. She liked to check with Artie whenever she entered Artie.

“Fine,” Artie breathed. 

“I love that you let me do this to you,” Quinn whispered, finger housed in heaven while her thumb made circles around Artie’s clit.

“Only you. Only you forever,” Artie panted, hips rolling with Quinn’s rhythm. 

The fact that Artie trusted her to do this so many times made Quinn’s chest swell with emotion. Quinn kissed where she could as she sped up her fingers. Artie suddenly crowed and folded over slightly.

“Shit,” Artie sighed, pressing Quinn to her as she leaned back against the back of the tub.

Quinn chuckled. “You said that already.”

Artie laughed with her. “It bears repeating because shit.” 

“So, I’m good at that?”

Groaning, Artie turned her head. “Damn it, I’m sorry I said that. I wasn’t thinking clearly.” 

Quinn smiled. “Yes, well, the water’s getting cold. Let’s finish those strawberries and move this back to a place where I won’t drown and you won’t have to think.”

Artie nodded and plucked another strawberry from the basket by the side of the tub. They finished the ripe fruit and made their way back to bed, where they stayed until it was time to go home. Maybe they’d see the rest of the place when they returned. Maybe they’d even eat the chocolate next time. 

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Christmas and Quinn spends it with her family; well, her blood relatives.


	24. Coming Out

24: Coming Out

Winter at the Brenner household was essentially the same as the summer, but colder and the girls came in earlier because the sun went down sooner. Quinn enjoyed the chaos, the movement, the affection, and everything in between. She was loath to leave that, but her grandparents would be at her parents’ house. She wanted to see them. The pantheon made it easier to leave this time than before, even though it was Christmas Eve.

“We’ll save all your presents when you get back,” Juno promised, hugging Quinn around the waist. They stood in the living room. The rest of her sisters stood back, waiting for their turns.

“You guys didn’t have to get me anything.” Quinn smiled and patted Juno on the back. She would miss them, but she would be back soon and that would help get her through dealing with her own family.

“Of course, we did! You’re part of the family,” Venus declared with a grin.

“And we make sure everyone gets something,” Aphrodite said with a cool shrug.

Quinn felt a tingling in her eyes and took a breath to keep from crying. She wished she could spend Christmas with them, but she missed her grandparents. Talking on the phone and seeing weren’t the same thing. _I need to teach my grandparents how to FaceTime or something_. Of course, that still wouldn’t be the same.

“You’ll like my gift best,” Tia said as she came in for her hug. Quinn chuckled a bit as she squeezed Tia back extra-hard, just to let the child know she cared.

“Safe trip,” Anna called, standing on the stairs.

All eyes looked up. Anna should’ve been asleep. She was on vacation and still couldn’t shake her sleeping habits. Quinn smiled at her, touched that the lady of the house would actually come to see her off.  _I guess she doesn’t hate me anymore_.

“I’ll try to save some Christmas dinner for you from this horde,” Anna said, getting a laugh from Quinn.

“What an awful thing to say to goddesses,” Artie joked, cutting her eyes to her mother before turning back to Quinn.

“I think after Thanksgiving Quinn knows you’re actually a wolf pack,” Anna replied. 

“That’s unfortunately an accurate description,” Quinn teased.

Artie threw on an exaggerated pout that her sisters copied. Quinn chuckled. More goodbyes were said and hugs given out before Artie could walk Quinn to her car. There was a light snow on the ground that crunched under their boots. Quinn leaned against the car with Artie in front of her, hands on Quinn’s waist. 

“You know, you really will like the gifts.” Artie smiled and pecked her on the lips.

Quinn tittered. “Stop trying to tempt me to stay. I need to see my grandparents. Just don’t eat all the Christmas dinner.” 

“We both know I can’t make that promise,” Artie laughed.

“If you all actually ate breakfast, you might.” 

Artie grinned and shrugged. “Yeah, but we’re not going to do that.”

Quinn chuckled and leaned in for another kiss. “I love you.” 

“I know you do, Princess. I love you, too. Have fun with your grandparents. We’ll be here when you get back.”

A small smile settled on Quinn’s face. “But, the food won’t.” 

Artie shook her head. “No, that’s gonna be gone. Vega’s gonna come over tomorrow. She eats as much as I do.”

Quinn’s brow furrowed. “Vega doesn’t celebrate Christmas.” 

Artie grinned. “But, she does eat.”

Quinn chuckled again. “That she does.” 

The prolonged goodbye ended with a kiss. She reached up and pinched Artie’s reddening nose. The poor dear had come out in only a shirt.

“Go inside before you freeze to death.” Before Artie could object, she swatted her on the butt. 

“Ow!” Artie laughed.

“Don’t act macho either. Go on.”

Artie offered her a kiss and a lopsided grin for her troubles. She returned the kiss, but swatted Artie once more to get her moving. Artie finally moved to go back in the house while Quinn got into her car. She had a long way to go.

-8-8-8-8- 

“Why didn’t Quinn stay with us for Christmas?” Diana asked as she crawled into Artie’s lap. The sisters were all gathered around the television, even though they weren’t watching it. The living room was just the only place they could all fit together.

“Quinn has to see her grandparents. She’ll be back before Christmas is over,” Artie promised, rubbing Diana’s head. 

Juno tucked herself under Artie’s right arm. “Good. She’ll like my present. Right?” Hope sparkled in her eyes.

Artie leaned down and kissed the top of her head. “She will, Bug. She’ll like everyone’s presents. You’ll see.” 

“Will she be back for dinner?” Diana asked.

“She’ll try, but I don’t think so,” Artie answered. 

They all pouted. Thankfully, the twins and Tia were distracted when their mother woke up and they started on Christmas dinner. Artie watched Christmas cartoons with Juno and Diana for a while before switching to reading Christmas stories to them. That was how their grandparents discovered them.

“Hey, glad to see you reading with them,” Tori said to Artie, hugging each granddaughter. 

“The Bug’s doing most of the heavy work,” Artie replied with a smile.

Juno grinned proudly. “I know all the hard words.” 

“She sure does.” Artie mussed Juno’s hair.

Tori nodded. “It’s good that you’re practicing.” She looked around. “Where’s Quinn? Did she leave already?” 

Diana pouted. “Yeah.”

“But, she’ll maybe be back for Christmas dinner,” Juno added with a smile. Diana smiled, too.

Artie went back to reading with the youngest pair. It was a good distraction for all of them. Artie wanted to call to check on her girlfriend, but she didn’t want to smother Quinn. Besides, Quinn promised to text when she got there.

-8-8-8-8-

Quinn pulled up to her parents’ house and sighed. She considered calling Artie, if only for a pep talk to get her inside, but that wasn’t necessary. She spotted her grandparents’ car and was surprised they came so early. She couldn’t wait to see them. Rushing out of the car, she practically ran to the front door and let herself in.

“Papa? Grandma?” Quinn called, unable to keep from grinning.

“There’s the baby.” Her grandmother walked out of the living room to greet her.

Quinn threw her arms open to receive her grandmother, who hit her at a good clip for a woman her age. Quinn laughed as they embraced. Her grandmother rocked her, almost taking them both to the ground. Still, Quinn laughed, even when her grandmother stepped away.

“Look at you, baby,” her grandmother, Babs Matherson, said with sparkling brown eyes. She caressed Quinn’s cheek and looped their arms together. “It feels like forever since we’re seen each other. How’s school?” she asked, patting Quinn’s hand. Whenever any of her grandparents touched her, Quinn was certain she could feel their love for her flow from them and tingle into her.

“School’s great. I’ll tell you and Papa all about,” Quinn promised as they entered the living room.

“You better tell Papa all about it,” her grandfather, Roger Matherson, declared as he rose from his seat on the sofa. He smiled widely, his dark blue eyes dancing with delight, and hugged her, really engulfed her because he was a large man. She suspected he was what her brother would be in forty years. His once blond hair was completely white and cut short.

“You know I will as soon as you stop squeezing me to death,” Quinn groaned. Despite her words, she held onto him tighter.

He laughed. “No! I can’t stop squeezing my baby girl!” Making matters worse, he tickled her ribs. She went down in a heap and he laughed more.

Quinn suspected one of the reasons the reasons her grandparents loved her so much was because she let them baby her. She never seriously objected when her Papa tickled her or squeezed her too hard. She just laughed. She was still a little kid to them because, well, sometimes it was nice to be silly. Her brother and sister had outgrown this idea in their early teens.

“Why don’t you ask her about her boyfriend?” her sister, Veronica, sneered. She flipped her long brunette hair over her pale shoulder before glaring at Quinn for no reason the younger sister could figure out.

“Oh, yes, who is this mysterious new man in your life? Your brother and sister keep hinting around, but no one wants to tell us,” her grandmother said.

Quinn suspected her family had been hinting about things to her grandparents since they met Artie at the beginning of the summer. She could never been sure how much they told her grandparents. Her grandparents mentioned things in phone calls, but never really said much, so she could never get if her family completely outed her and her grandparents were not sure how to bring it up or if her family teased her grandparents with information.

Quinn’s father jumped in. “Mom, I told you we’ll discuss that later,” he hissed.

Quinn shrugged. “Grandma, I’ll tell you all about it as soon as your counterparts arrive.”

He grandparents snickered; they got a kick out of her whenever she referred to her other grandparents around them. While she filled them in on her schoolwork, she took in the décor of the house. There was a huge Christmas tree by the windows with beautiful ornaments hanging from it and tons of presents crammed underneath. There was tinsel and other Christmas cut outs were on the walls. She thought about Artie and the pantheon, who didn’t have a tree as big or nearly as many gifts, but it probably was a much jollier holiday.

It didn’t take long for her other grandparents to show up; her mother’s parents. Her granddaddy, Cliff Wells, and her nana, Lois Wells. Cliff was an average-sized man with dark brown hair that was turning gray. Lois was small and her long brown hair was done in a bun. Their pale cheeks were tinted red from the cold.

There were hugs all around before everyone returned to their seats. The new arrivals sat down as well. There was some idle chitchat for a while. Quinn actually forgot they wanted to know about her “boyfriend” until her sister brought it up again.

“You keep talking about _what_ you’re doing in school, Quinn, but not _who_ ,” Veronica remarked. Their parents glared at her.

“Yes, dear, tell us about this new man. Your mother doesn’t seem to approve,” Lois commented, looking a little amused. 

“You won’t approve either, Mother,” Vanessa said. She cut her eyes at Quinn, but Quinn ignored her mother. She hoped her grandparents were open-minded about things.

“Even though, it’s a parent’s job to disapprove of any child’s chosen mate,” Cliff remarked with an amused smile. 

“Isn’t that the truth? Ron could’ve come home with Miss America and Babs still would’ve flipped,” Roger said with a smile of his own. He was one of the few people that could get away with calling her father a shortened version of his name. 

“Don’t try to start trouble, dear,” Babs playfully scolded her husband, swatting at his bicep.

“How about we have dinner now that we’re all here?” Ronald huffed, standing abruptly. 

No one objected. The ladies set the table. Quinn’s grandmothers tried to pry information about her mysterious “boyfriend” out of her, but her mother kept interrupting. Quinn didn’t mind. Eventually, she’d have the chance to answer and she would. It wasn’t her ruining the holiday, in her opinion. It was her telling the truth because she was asked and not for shock value.

“This looks like a very good dinner, Vanessa. You made this whole thing?” Lois asked as they sat down at the table. The Christmas Eve dinner was usually the same every year – roast beef, rice, potatoes, string beans, carrots, and dinner rolls. Christmas dinner would consist of a whole turkey and a variety of sides. 

“Most of it,” her mother answered modestly. “Veronica helped.” The favored daughter smiled.

“Veronica, your mother said you’re getting married,” Lois said with a bright smile as they passed around the food, so everyone could set their plate just as they liked it.

This was the first that Quinn heard of her sister’s engagement. She wasn’t surprised. Veronica had been with Dave – his name finally confirmed for her – for a couple of years now.  _I wonder if Artie would propose to me if we were together for two years. Is that enough time for her? More importantly, is that enough time for me?_ It might not be considering she still got nervous when they went out in public on dates.

“I am,” Veronica confirmed her pending nuptials. 

“So, you want to do a spring wedding?” Babs asked with a smile as well.

“Yes. Mom’s planning to help with it and Dad’s just begging me to not bankrupt him. I told him I can’t make that promise,” Veronica laughed. 

“So, you’re just going to leave out your poor, old grandmothers?” Lois teased, throwing up a dramatic hand to her forehead.

Veronica only laughed. Despite her sister being annoying to Quinn, she was rather respectful of their grandmothers. She could’ve easily called Lois on that question since their grandparents weren’t around that often, but she smiled at them and shifted the conversation. 

“Maybe Quinn will let you plan her wedding. Of course, that might involve too many women,” Veronica remarked, throwing Quinn a taunting smirk.

RJ paused from his meal for a moment and chimed in. “Is there such thing as ‘too many women’ for Quinn now?” He smirked as well, mischief blazing in his blue eyes. RJ’s wife, a little blond thing named Erin, chuckled.

“You two,” their father growled. The grandparents all looked at each other with slightly scrunched up faces, probably trying to figure out what was going on.

“What is all the secrecy around Quinn’s new beau? I want to hear about him. I hope he’s better than Thomas. I can’t believe that boy actually left you,” Roger said, shaking his head. 

“The kid obviously has no taste,” Cliff added with a frown.

“None whatsoever,” Lois said with a wave of her hand. 

“I can tell you later,” Quinn said.

“Nuts to that. Tell us now,” Babs insisted with a grin, patting her shoulder since she sat right next to Quinn.

Quinn chuckled. “Okay—” 

“Mother, I promise you, you don’t want to hear this nonsense.” Ronald insisted, tapping the table with his index finger.

Babs frowned. “What is the big deal?”

“Is the boy a biker or something? Does he have a million tattoos or rings in his face? Has he been to jail?” Lois inquired with a frown. Clearly, she feared the worst. 

“Worse, is he a dance major?” Roger asked.

Quinn laughed, hoping her grandfather wasn’t serious about that. “No, not a dance major. Actually, a double major in psychology and sociology. Her name’s Artie.” She said this with confidence and ease.  _Why should I be ashamed? Artie’s wonderful to me and I love her with all my heart_.

The table went completely silent and everyone stopped eating. Quinn sat up tall and didn’t look down. She wasn’t ashamed. Artie was good to her, good for her. She wouldn’t let them knock down what she felt, what she had.  _Screw them_. 

“A girl?” Cliff finally managed to ask. He sounded like he choked on the question.

“Not really,” Veronica snickered. 

“Not even something like a girl,” RJ added in.

“All right,” Ronald growled, glaring down the table. “Can we just have a nice dinner?”

“It is a nice dinner. We get to find out that Quinn really is a dyke. Or is dating a dyke. Or a transsexual. Quinn, care to explain it?” RJ asked with a smirk. 

Quinn frowned. “I know no matter what I say you’ll think you’re being oh, so clever in calling her those names, so, no, I don’t care to explain. I like Artie and she likes me. We have something that I’m sure is deeper than any thought you’ve ever had in your head. I’m sure my relationship with her is more fulfilling than your relationship with Bubbles here.” She motioned to Erin.

RJ scowled. “Please, that thing you’re bedding is probably part gorilla.” 

“We’re not talking about this at the dinner table on Christmas Eve!” Ronald barked, banging the table with his hand. “God, Quinn, why didn’t you just keep that to yourself? You have to ruin everyone’s holiday?”

“Why is it me? Veronica keeps bringing it up,” Quinn pointed out before she realized what her father said. She was just reacting to him without thinking. _I ruined everyone’s holiday? The hell?_

“You could’ve ignored her, but no, you have to embarrass us all in front of your grandparents and ruin Christmas for everyone with your nonsense,” Ronald declared. 

Quinn frowned and then nodded. “Yeah, I did ruin Christmas, for myself. My relationship is not nonsense and nothing about Artie is bad. I shouldn’t have come here. Do you know right now I have a whole family of people waiting for me? They all bought me gifts and have never accused me of ruining anything. They let me be myself and they love me for myself and they don’t put on airs. They damn sure don’t make me put on airs.”

“Then why don’t you go back to your little homo orgy?” RJ snapped. 

“You know what, I will.” Pushing her chair out, causing it to let out a loud groan, Quinn stood up.

“Quinn, you sit back down,” Vanessa ordered, pointing to Quinn’s chair. 

“Why? So I can hear more about how I’m a dyke, dating a transsexual, and ruined Christmas or watch you and Dad do everything in your power to avoid hearing I’m dating a woman?” Quinn scoffed.

“Quinn, if you walk out that door, don’t bother coming back,” Ronald stated, holding up his hand as if swearing a pledge. 

His mother gasped. “Ron, no.”

“I mean it,” Ronald said with a stone cold expression. His eyes stared into Quinn’s, daring her to try his patience. 

Quinn swallowed around a lump in her throat that she didn’t expect. Her stomach felt like it fell into her feet while the rest of her insides trembled. This was truly being disowned. It stung much more than she anticipated. She looked around the table, hoping someone would stop her. Her mother, her siblings, just _someone_. She expected a grandparent and wasn’t disappointed when Cliff reached for her hand.

“Your father doesn’t mean it,” Lois spoke up.

“I do mean it. Quinn, you sit down and shut up about this nonsense now or leave and don’t come back,” Ronald said with no room for argument.

Her chin trembled and she gritted teeth to stop it. Inhaling, she settled her guts as much as she could. Turning, she marched out of the dining room, hearing her grandparents call after her. She rushed to put her fleece and scarf back on. She could put her coat on after she made it out the door. She needed to escape before the tears actually came. 

“Quinn, stop,” Roger begged, grabbing her around the shoulders as she made it to the foyer.

“No, Papa, no.” Quinn struggled to get away, but despite his age, he had a good grip.

“Dad, just let her go. Let her go be a dyke somewhere else,” Ronald insisted from the dining room. 

“Yeah, just let me go, Papa,” Quinn pled. Let her go so she could at least be some place warm with laughter and appreciative of her presence.

“Never!” Roger declared, drawing her in. He hugged her tighter than ever before, cradling her head to his shoulder. She just wanted to cry into his soft sweater, but still, she managed to hold in her tears. 

“We won’t let you go, ever,” Babs added, coming in to hold her. They practically wrapped Quinn in a warm, loving cocoon, blocking out her parents and siblings.

“I don’t wanna ruin things anymore,” Quinn sniffled. 

“You haven’t ruined anything,” Lois tried to assure her as she came in, rubbing Quinn’s shoulder.

“But—” Quinn tried to object. 

Cliff interrupted her. “No ‘buts.’ Your father is just in shock right now. Odd since he and the rest of them clearly knew, but that’s just the way it is. You’re going to leave, that much is clear, but don’t leave thinking you ruined anything.”

“You didn’t,” Roger insisted. 

Tears now slid from Quinn’s eyes. “But—”

Babs wiped the tears away with her knuckles. “Don’t cry. You don’t have to stay here, but make sure you call us when you get to where you’re going.” 

“You guys… you don’t mind?” Quinn asked shyly. She was surprised at how her grandparents were taking her announcement.

“A bit confused and shocked, but we hate seeing you in pain, Quinn. So, you call all of us when you get to where you’re going and hopefully we can talk about this. It’s a bit much, yes, but you’re still our little Quinn,” Lois stated. 

Quinn smiled. “I love you guys so much.” She always would.

They all hugged her and then let her go. Once she was in her car, she bawled her eyes out. She cried until she couldn’t breathe. She hadn’t expected it to hurt so much, but it would’ve been more merciful for her father to gut her with his butter knife.

“No, no, it wouldn’t. I have people who love me, inside that house and at my home. I need to get home,” Quinn said, putting her key in the ignition and starting the car. She had a family who loved her for who she was. That was enough. More than enough really. 

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Quinn goes back home.


	25. Happy Holiday

25: Happy Holiday 

“Hey, you better clean that mess up,” Artie barked as Juno made a mad dash for the stairs. Artie couldn’t believe the mess in the dining room and all of her sisters tried to run out to avoid cleaning it up.

“But, we cooked,” Aphrodite whined. 

“Yeah, we should get a pass,” Venus concurred, pointing to herself and her twin as they inched closer to the stairs and what Artie guessed represented freedom. 

“It doesn’t work that way. You don’t leave these dishes here like they’re going to magically clean themselves. Now, let’s get to it,” Artie ordered, pointing to the cluttered table.

The whole gang sulked as they picked up after themselves, clearing the table. Artie helped out, wanting them to see they all had this responsibility. Once they put the dishes away, Artie had mercy and let them go. It was Christmas Eve; they only wanted to go to bed anyway. She did the dishes, but was distracted when the doorbell chimed. 

“Who the heck?” Artie muttered with an arched eyebrow. It was possible it was Kevin, Tia’s dad. He had been over earlier, giving Tia some much needed attention and making sure she had presents from him and his mother. He could’ve forgotten something.

“I got it, Art,” her grandfather called. 

Artie shrugged and went back to doing the dishes. Suddenly, she felt arms around her waist and weight against her back. Knowing the body type of every important woman in her life who might do something like this, she knew immediately who it was. She wiped her hands on her pants and turned around to embrace Quinn. 

“Princess, what are you doing back?” Artie asked, cradling Quinn’s head to her.

Quinn buried her face in Artie’s chest and began crying. Artie felt her heart drop, wondering what in the world Quinn’s family put her through to not only send her back early, but to have her bawling like this. Artie held her tightly and cooed in her ear.

“What happened, Princess? What’s wrong?” 

“I told them,” Quinn whimpered, clutching Artie’s shoulders.

Artie’s forehead wrinkled a little, trying to follow along. “Told who what?”

“I told them, my family. I told them about us. I told them,” Quinn cried. 

Artie’s brow furrowed even more. “What? Why did you do that?” She made sure not to sound like she was accusing Quinn of anything, but she could not understand why Quinn had done that. She told Quinn not to drop that bomb on a holiday because one – she thought Quinn would regret it as it could be seen as ruining the holiday and two – it would probably make matters worse because it would been seen as ruining the holiday.

Quinn sniffled, as if trying to get herself together, but then she just cried harder. Sighing, Artie rubbed Quinn’s back, trying to comfort her. But, this seemed like something time would do better than Artie. Still, Artie kept her in an embrace. 

It took almost a full minute for Quinn to mumble out her explanation. “My grandparents kept asking about who I was seeing and Veronica kept bringing it up and then RJ jumped in and I just wanted it to stop and then I said I was seeing you, a girl, and Dad told me I ruined Christmas and told me if I leave to never come back!” And she wept harder.

“Oh, god.” Artie held her tighter and then heard light gasps. 

Glancing up, she saw her grandparents standing a few feet away, ready to jump in. She waved them off with her fingers and they vanished back into the living room. She turned her complete attention back to her injured love.

“Baby, I’m so sorry,” Artie whispered.

Sniffling again, Quinn rubbed her nose in Artie’s shirt. “I didn’t think it would be this bad. I didn’t think it would hurt so much.” Her nails bit into Artie’s back as Quinn held on for dear life. 

“Oh, baby.” Artie kissed the top of her head. “I’m sorry you’re hurting. Do you want to talk about it?”

Quinn shook her head. Artie knew that was a lie, so she abandoned the dishes and led Quinn to the basement door. Quinn managed to make it downstairs, even with being tucked underneath Artie’s arm. Artie eased her down on the bed before leaning down, stripping off Quinn’s boots. She unzipped Quinn’s coat, removed her scarf, and took off her fleece and crawled into bed with Quinn, lying her down and pulling Quinn to her. Quinn didn’t resist and curled into Artie’s body, gripping handfuls of Artie’s shirt. Artie stroked Quinn’s hair. Eventually, Quinn stopped crying. They were silent for a long time.

“I didn’t expect it to hurt like this,” Quinn whispered.

“I don’t think you expected them to react that way. They suspected and only kept you at a little more of a distance than usual. You were able to handle that.” 

Quinn shook her head. “I always thought I’d be happy to never have to see them again.”

Artie caressed Quinn’s cheek for a moment before going back to her hair. “But, at the end of the day, they’re still your family and you still love them.”

“Then why don’t they love me? I mean, if I could still love them despite being ignored my whole life, why can’t they still love me if I’m dating a woman?” 

“Maybe you just have to give them time to adjust. We’ll see. Give it some time,” Artie said, kissing the side of Quinn’s head.

“I doubt it.” 

“This is a big thing. Believe me, I know.”

Quinn glanced up at her and arched an eyebrow. “You had a hard coming out?”

Artie smiled at how skeptical her lover appeared. “Well, not me. I mean, it wasn’t really a surprise with the whole ‘I’m a boy’ thing. But, I’ve met many lesbians in my life. Not to mention, my best friend is one. I had to hold Vega’s hand through tough times and look at her now. Her dad’s trying his damnedest to get her to marry Tega.”

“It’s different. Her father cares about her and doesn’t view her as an extra kid. Now, they can get rid of the superfluous child,” Quinn sneered, her cute little nose curling up.

Artie frowned, feeling her lover’s pain. “How did your grandparents take it?” 

Quinn relaxed against her and smiled a little. “Actually, kinda good. They wanted me to call them to let them know I got here all right. I should probably do that.”

Artie nodded. “Do you want me to leave you alone?”

Quinn whimpered and shook her head. Reaching into her back pocket, she pulled out her phone. Artie just watched and held her as she dialed her grandparents.

“Hey, Granddaddy,” Quinn muttered. “I’m all right. I made it back.” She made a few sounds as she listened to her grandfather. “I’m okay, really. Um… how are you guys?” She wrapped one arm around Artie as she listened to her grandfather. 

Artie busied herself by running her fingers through Quinn’s hair. The conversation didn’t seem to be going sour. If the small smile on Quinn’s face meant anything, the discussion was probably going better than expected. Artie waited for the rundown. It didn’t take long for Quinn to hang up.

“That sounded good,” Artie commented. 

Quinn’s cheek dimpled as a smile settled on her face as she went from clutching Artie to merely snuggled with her. “It was. They don’t agree with my father. They don’t think I ruined Christmas and they want to know more about you when I have the time. He said he’ll call me back tomorrow to talk more.”

“That is good.” 

“Yeah.” Still, Quinn didn’t move from Artie and Artie suspected they’d fall asleep in this position. She was right.

Artie woke when she felt Diana crawling over her. There wasn’t any space for her between Artie and Quinn as Quinn was tucked in tight, but that didn’t stop Diana for finding a crack and settling in. Quinn was so exhausted that she didn’t even stir. Artie pulled the blankets over them and went back to sleep. 

-8-8-8-8-

Diana was up early, as anyone would expect a small child on Christmas morning. Artie woke up as Diana climbed over her to get out of bed. Diana must’ve known because instead of going upstairs, she grabbed a hold of Artie’s shirtsleeve, pulling her.

“Piglet,” Artie groaned, trying to escape her youngest sister. 

“Let’s go open the presents.” Diana grinned, yanking on Artie’s shirt harder.

“When everyone’s up and when Nana and Granddad get here.” 

Diana pouted something fierce, but it had no effect on Artie. Seeing that pouting for once wouldn’t help her get her way, Diana turned and dashed out of the room, making sure to stomp on each step as she ascended.

Artie shook her head. “She keeps throwing a tantrum and we won’t open gifts until around ten.” 

“Aw, don’t be mean to the Piglet, baby. She’s just excited.” Quinn rubbed her nose into Artie’s neck.

“I know, but she needs to learn the world doesn’t revolve around her.” 

Quinn tittered a little. “And how is she going to learn that when you treat her like it does? And, honestly, in her mind I’m sure it does because you’re her world. Whenever you’re home, all she ever wants is you.”

Artie smiled, feeling a bit proud. “You’re kidding, right? I’m in a distant second to you now. They’re all in love with you.” 

Quinn smiled a little, which was good enough for Artie considering how bad off Quinn was last night. Pulling Quinn closer, she rubbed Quinn’s shoulder for her. Quinn adjusted her body, so she was almost lying on top of Artie. Pushing up, Quinn gave her a sweet, gentle kiss. Seconds passed and the kiss deepened. Artie was the one to pull away.

“I’m pretty sure we get smote for having sex on Christmas,” Artie remarked with a light chuckle. 

Quinn smirked. “I could use a good smiting.”

“After presents then. The Piglet will be busy with toys all day.” 

“Oh, it’s a date.”

 _A date to have sex. On Christmas._  While she was pretty sure that was a Hell-bound offense, she couldn’t help thinking there wasn’t a sexier way to be damned. Quinn was damn sexy, after all. 

“They’re all going to be up within a few minutes and the grandparents are probably on their way already. Vega and Yvonne are going to stop by for dinner. Probably bring Vega’s dad with them,” Artie reported to stop thinking about sex on Christmas.

“But, I thought…” Quinn trailed off. She blushed and Artie wanted to do nothing more than kiss her embarrassment away. 

“No, Vega doesn’t celebrate Christmas and, yes, Yvonne does. They’re only going to be here for dinner. Most of their day is spent with Yvonne’s family, but Mom makes it a point to ask Mahmoud to come over every year because Vega is his only living family and she doesn’t like for him to be alone, even if he doesn’t celebrate Christmas,” Artie explained.

“That’s nice of her.” 

“Yeah, they’re pretty close. I’m guessing it’s from working together and having kids that are best friends. I dunno. Mahmoud is cool. You’ll like him.”

Quinn nodded. They stayed cuddled up until they could hear the patter of a dozen feet. Artie groaned. They had to get up. 

“I need a shower,” Quinn realized.

“You have time to take one, a short one. They’re going to be chomping at the bit to get into those presents.” 

Quinn chuckled as they climbed out of bed. Quinn grabbed some clothes. They made their way upstairs. The girls were all in the living room, sitting at the Christmas tree in the corner, shaking things under the overflowing tree. Quinn smiled while Artie wasn’t as amused.

“Hey, you guys, don’t you dare open one of those things until Nana and Granddad are here,” Artie ordered. If she didn’t keep an eye on them, they’d sneak small gifts. 

“Why you gotta be so mean?” Tia whined before she noticed Quinn. She shot up and hugged Quinn tightly. “You came back! I knew you’d spend Christmas with us!”

“You can’t keep me away,” Quinn commented with a smile, returning the embrace. 

“Nothing compares to six goddesses,” Venus remarked, standing to hug Quinn as well. Her other sisters followed her lead.

“Such pagan thoughts on Christmas,” Quinn teased. 

Aphrodite smirked. “We’re actually pagans.”

Quinn chuckled and shook her head. “You’re all over the top. I’m going to take a shower.” 

Tia let her go and Quinn made her way to the bathroom after short hugs from the rest of the horde. Artie watched her disappear upstairs and flopped onto the couch. Juno crawled onto her lap and hugged her arm.

“I’m happy Quinn came back. I wanna celebrate Christmas with her,” Juno stated with a grin. 

“Yeah,” Tia agreed.

“But, when did she come back?” Aphrodite asked. 

“And why?” Venus added.

Artie rubbed Juno’s head, careful of her hair since she had just put fresh twists in the girl’s hair. “She had some trouble at her parents’ house and I don’t want any of you asking her about it. This is Christmas. It’s supposed to be nice. So, we’ll have a nice Christmas where we open gifts and eat dinner as soon as possible.” Her sisters must’ve known how serious she was because they nodded and then went back to shaking their gifts.

Their grandparents arrived minutes before Quinn got out of the shower. Quinn curled up next to Artie on the couch on the opposite side of Juno. Diana volunteered to go wake up their mother, who probably only just went to sleep. Anna practically fell into the living room with Diana tugging her by the hand. 

“Presents!” Diana cheered as she rushed to the tree, obviously wanting to open hers now.

“Hey, hey, hey,” Artie called to her. “If you’re gonna be Santa, you have to do it right.” 

“I wanna be Santa,” Tia objected.

“It’s the Piglet’s turn to be Santa,” Artie pointed out. She leaned down and whispered into Quinn’s ear. “Every year we rotate who gives out the gifts, starting from oldest to youngest.” 

“That’s cute,” Quinn smiled.

“She can’t even read the names,” Tia pointed out, motioning to Diana. 

Artie frowned. “So, how about you stop being a brat about it and help her read the names?” Tia flinched at that and maybe it was a bit harsh. “Sorry, Tia. Just stop acting like that and help the Piglet read the names. Help her.”

Tia pouted, but she moved to help. Diana grinned as she handed the first gift to their grandmother. Christmas morning was full steam ahead. Soon, they were up to their knees in wrapping paper and disregarded gift boxes. Quinn seemed genuinely shocked that she received so many gifts, even though she’d gotten everyone something. 

“It’s funny that you got us journals and we got you journals,” Venus chuckled as she and Aphrodite opened their gifts from Quinn. She had gotten them four leather-bound journals with leather strings to bind them close. They had gotten her a journal designed to look like an ancient manuscript with her name embossed on the front.

“I still can’t believe you brought me such a beautiful book,” Quinn said, hugging her journal to her chest. She looked absolutely in love. 

“Should I be jealous?” Artie teased in a whisper, kissing behind Quinn’s ear. Quinn yelped.

“My gift is better,” Tia insisted as she shoved her gift into Quinn’s hands. It was a small box. 

“Whoa, careful, Tia,” Artie cautioned her.

“It’s okay.” Quinn reached out and mussed Tia’s blond locks. She opened the gift and her eyes widened with shock. “Oh, my god, this is beautiful.” She held up a thin, gold necklace with a little heart pendant on it. 

“I know, right?” Tia grinned proudly.

Quinn chuckled and leaned forward, giving Tia a kiss on the cheek. Tia pepped up as Quinn put the necklace on and that seemed to settle Tia, oddly enough. She was well behaved in helping Diana read the presents and she let the Piglet hand everything out without a complaint.

“Artie, is this a joke?” Anna asked as she held up Artie’s gift. 

“A joke? No, I’ve been saving for that all year. You need to go and freaking relax somewhere there aren’t a million kids,” Artie stated. She’d gotten her mother two weekend tickets to a spa for the full treatment.

Anna scoffed, as if a place like that didn’t exist. “And who am I supposed to go with?”

“A friend,” Artie answered the obvious with a deadpan expression. “Hell, take Mahmoud. I’m sure Vega being home is driving him to drink.”

Anna rolled her eyes. “Yes, me and my boss will go to a spa and complain about our children.” 

Artie chuckled. “Isn’t that what you guys do at work? Change up your routine. Take Nana. Just make sure you go.” She believed her mother needed a weekend to relax and she had friends to take, so she didn’t see the problem, except for the fact that her mother didn’t know how to take a break. As long as her mother didn’t take a sleazy boyfriend, it was fine by Artie.

It took a while for them to make it through so many presents. Some weren’t as glamorous as others, but they all were content with what they had. They were all fiddling with favorites when the doorbell interrupted them. They all looked up. 

“It’s way too early for Vega and her dad,” Artie said.

“Maybe Vega did something and Yvonne had to send her off early,” Anna pointed out. 

Artie nodded, as that was not unheard of. She got up from the couch, making sure to take her awesome new headphones with her favorite football team’s logo on them with her. She checked to see who it was and found she didn’t know the people on her doorstep. She opened the door anyway to a quartet of older people.

“Hi, can I help you?” Artie asked. 

“Yes, we’re looking for Quinn. We’re her grandparents,” the taller gentlemen to the right said.

A feather could’ve felled Artie. While she knew Quinn’s grandparents hadn’t thrown her away, she hadn’t expected them to show up on her doorstep Christmas morning. She did the only thing she could do – invited them in. 

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Quinn talks with her grandparents and her grandparents properly meet Artie.


	26. Christmas Miracle

26: Christmas Miracle

Quinn was speechless as she stood in the den as Artie eased back into the living room, giving Quinn a rare private moment. She couldn’t believe her grandparents, all four of them, were standing before them. She hadn’t expected to see them after her father accused her of ruining Christmas.

“Wha… what are you doing here?” Quinn asked, taking each grandparent in trembling arms. They returned the hugs, so that had to be a good sign. Of course, the fact that they answered her calls, both last night and earlier that morning, should have told her that. It was just nerve wrecking for them to be standing there right now.

“We wanted to make sure you’re all right,” Cliff answered, rubbing her shoulder.

“You sounded down on the phone,” Roger said.

“But, how did you find me?” Quinn inquired with a furrowed brow.

“You told me this morning when I asked where you were,” Babs answered.

Quinn opened her mouth and then shut it because she realized she had told them. They had asked about where she was when she called before taking her shower. She had given the name of the town. They pressed for more until after ten minutes she had told them all they needed to track her down. She hadn’t realized they were pumping her for information and had put it out of her mind as soon as she hung up the phone. The Christmas cheer of the Brenners had helped.

“I didn’t expect you to actually come by,” Quinn said. She didn’t think they’d go out of their way for her, especially after last night.

“We wanted to make sure you’re all right, pumpkin,” Lois replied, taking Quinn’s hand and giving it a little squeeze.

Quinn smiled and squeezed her grandmother’s hand back. “I am. Actually, do you want to meet everybody? We’re all just enjoying our Christmas presents.” She motioned to the living room. It wouldn’t hurt them to meet the Brenners, especially Artie. They could see she was in good hands and they wouldn’t have to worry or check on her… well, beyond what they usually did anyway.

“Are you sure? We don’t want to intrude,” Cliff said.

Quinn smiled. “It’s all right.” She knew the Brenners would welcome her grandparents with open arms because they were just those types of people.

Her grandparents all looked at each other before silently deciding to give in. Quinn led them to living room where the Brenner family waited. Artie and her family appeared as if they were having their portrait painted. Artie smiled at her, which let her know Artie set this whole thing up, wanting to her grandparents to have a good impression.

“So, everybody, these are my grandparents,” Quinn announced with a grin. “My dad’s parents, Roger and Babs Matherson.” She motioned to them with one hand. “And Cliff and Lois Wells.” She motioned to them with the same hand.

“Hi,” the pantheon practically sang out, including Artie.

Quinn smiled and then introduced the Brenners, leaving Artie for last. All of the Brenners politely stood and shook everyone’s hands, even little Diana, which was unbelievably adorable. Artie was visibly nervous when she did so, having to wipe her palms on her pants before shaking anyone’s hand.

“So, you’re the guy our little baby has been seeing,” Roger said while undoubtedly trying to break Artie’s hand with his grip.

Quinn had to look away for a moment, incredulous that her grandfather really just called Artie a guy right to her face. Her grandfather did not even look embarrassed by it. None of her grandparents looked fazed either. It was a little weird. Maybe they thought Artie really was a guy.

Artie didn’t even flinch. “Guy?” she challenged him a little with an eyebrow. Quinn just hoped Artie didn’t try to return her grandfather’s grip. Surely Artie would break his hand if she did.

Thankfully, Babs stepped in and saved her husband. “Sorry. Our other grandchildren led us to believe you were male. It’s hard to tear the image down,” she said while discretely pulling Roger’s hand away. Quinn nodded; that made sense for why they didn’t bat an eye when he said “guy.”

“It’s all right. Do you want to sit down?” Artie proposed, pointing to the couch, which was miraculously devoid of Christmas clutter.

“Oh, no, no, no. We don’t want to disturb your holiday. We just wanted to make sure Quinn was all right. See it with our own eyes and all,” Cliff insisted.

“But, feel free to come visit us whenever you two get a moment. We’d love to get to know you,” Lois added. Artie visibly gulped.

“Oh, you have to visit us, too,” Babs insisted with a smile.

Quinn smiled and grabbed Artie’s hand. “We will. We look forward to it.”

“That’s wonderful. Oh, Quinn, we have your gifts out in the car from your parents house,” Lois said.

“I can go get them,” Artie offered. “It’s cold outside.”

Quinn smiled. “Sweet, but I think they’re leaving and I want to see them off.”

Artie nodded and stepped away. Quinn moved to put on her shoes while her grandparents bade everyone farewell. Artie returned with her sweat hood, draping it around Quinn’s shoulders. Quinn smiled.

“Thank you,” Quinn said, sliding her arms through the sleeves.

“I’ll carry the gifts in for you,” Artie said as they stepped outside into cold and snow-covered path.

Quinn didn’t object and followed her grandparents to their cars. Artie shivered, as she hadn’t bothered to put on a heavier shirt. Quinn was about to scold her, but just glared at her. The way Artie smiled, Quinn assumed she got the message and understood that she was not to linger outside. They handed Artie two medium-sized boxes and she trotted back into the house. Quinn smiled.

“She’s sweet,” Quinn felt the need to repeat.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Roger asked with a leveled look.

Quinn smiled and nodded. “She’s so good to me, Papa. You’ll all see when you really get to spend time with her and I promise we will come around before we go back to school.”

“She’s very… masculine,” Babs commented cautiously. “Is that the appeal?”

Quinn chuckled. “No. She’s just… she let’s me know I mean something to her every chance she gets, especially with little things, like carrying in my stuff. I’ve never had someone like that in my life. She’s shared her home with me, her family. She picked up my pieces yesterday, so, I’m sure I want this.”

“Then, we’re happy for you and we look forward to really meeting her soon,” Cliff said, reaching out and rubbing Quinn’s bicep. For some reason, the fact he was willing to touch her made Quinn almost giddy.

“We’ll go out on the town and she can regale us with tales of how she managed to woo you,” Lois teased with a smile.

Quinn felt her cheeks warm up in the frosty winter morning. “I don’t think you want to hear that story.” She could only imagine how she and Artie would clean that up.

“I think I do,” Lois smirked and she hugged Quinn. “We still love you, pumpkin.” She kissed Quinn’s forehead. It had to be cold because her lips felt like they were made of ice.

“I love you both, too,” Quinn replied. She felt so relieved to know they were honest and truly there for her.

Cliff hugged her before climbing into his car with Lois. Quinn was left with her father’s parents, who she thought were taking this a little harder than her departing grandparents. Still, they were trying. She suspected they were playing it a little cooler because Cliff and Lois took things so well.

“Are you really okay with this?” Quinn asked to be sure.

“Just because our son overreacted doesn’t mean we’re going to. I don’t understand why you’d rather be with a girl, but I damn sure won’t figure out why he’s completely cutting you off, right?” Roger pointed out.

“Besides, no matter what, we love you, kiddo,” Babs said with a real smile. “And Artie seems nice.”

Quinn nodded. “She is.”

“Then we’re holding you to that promise to come see us and call us if you need anything at all. If tuition turns into a problem, let us know. I don’t want you taking out any loans and going into debt before you get started,” Babs ordered.

A warm smile settled on Quinn’s face. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Good, now give us hugs and go inside before you freeze your little tail off.”

Quinn chuckled and did as commanded. She hugged both of them before trotting back to the warmth of the house. She wasn’t surprised Artie waited for her on the other side. Thick arms wrapped around her and pulled her close, warming her in more than one way.

“Merry Christmas, huh?” Artie asked in a low voice.

“Yes, it is.” Possibly the best Christmas she had ever had. 

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: More of this Christmas day, with guest appearances by Vega, Yvonne, and Vega’s father.


	27. Happy Ending

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains two women in an intimate situation. If that’s not your thing, skip the end of the chapter and come back for the next one.

27: Happy Ending

Vega and Yvonne arrived around one in the afternoon with Vega’s father, Mahmoud Nasri. He was clearly very familiar with the family, earning hugs from all of the girls before they moved on to hug Vega and Yvonne. Mahmoud was an average sized man with a full beard and a clean, neat haircut. His skin was lighter than Vega’s, but it was easy to see that she was his daughter, as they had the same eyes and oval faces. He was dressed in dark blue slacks with a matching sweater vest on top of a white shirt. 

“Hey, Mahmoud, this is my girlfriend, Quinn,” Artie introduced them while holding Quinn close to her.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, dear. I’ve heard much about you,” Mahmoud said, reaching out to shake her hand.

Quinn arched an eyebrow. “You have?” She gave him a firm handshake.

“My daughter and Yvonne both talk about how good you’ve been for Artie. Anna has mentioned you some. I’ll spare you her earlier comments, but lately, it seems you’ve changed her mind,” he reported with a friendly smile. He sounded very pleasant.

Quinn’s eyebrows shot up. “Vega says good things about me?” she asked in disbelief. Vega, who was lifting up Diana with one hand not too far away, rolled her eyes.

He chuckled. “She does. She might be prickly to you because she’s not used to sharing her best friend, so I think you’re also good for her. She needs to know Artie doesn’t belong to her.”

Quinn laughed; she liked him. Vega frowned in their direction, but her father just waved it off. He patted Quinn on the shoulder.

“I hope to see more of you,” he told her.

“Me, too.” She wouldn’t mind getting to know him.

“Yeah, that’s not gonna happen,” Vega grumbled.

“Let’s eat before Vega gets grumpier,” Artie announced.

“I’m not grumpy. I just don’t like when my father makes stuff up,” Vega replied.

“Either way, let’s eat,” Artie said. “And you are grumpy.” This earned her a glare from Vega, which really just proved her point.

The family and guests all gathered around the table as best they could, but it was a tight fit. Artie had to fetch folding chairs from the small shed in the backyard, which were all cold and a little dusty, but no one seemed to mind. They were used to this. 

“So, it doesn’t spoil your appetite to eat here and then go eat at Yvonne’s?” Quinn asked Vega, who sat across from her. It was nothing short of amazing that they could all fit at the table, which usually had trouble holding the Brenner family. Diana tucked herself on Quinn’s lap and Juno sat on Anna, which helped the packed table since they had guests.

Vega shook her head. “Nope.” She piled food on her plate.

“Think of it this way, if Artie ate a meal at one, would she be able to eat more at five?” Yvonne pointed out.

Artie scoffed from her place right next to Quinn. “We could eat a meal an hour after a meal.” She pointed her fork at Vega and then herself. Tia practically shared a seat with Artie because it was a very tight fit at the table, but Tia didn’t complain about it. In fact, she looked perfectly happy sitting next to Artie.

“Hell, sometimes I can eat a meal right after a meal. Artie, I’ve seen you eat a meal while eating a meal,” Vega remarked with a laugh.

Artie laughed as well. “I’ve done that a few times.”

“We’ve been victims of that,” Venus complained.

“Yeah, we were eating that,” Aphrodite chimed in.

“Clearly you weren’t if I ended up eating it.” Artie grinned.

Quinn smiled. She could imagine Artie taking someone else’s plate during a meal and eating it while she had her own food. She was certain that she’d witness this eventually as long as she stuck with Artie, especially now she knew Artie did it with her sisters.

“These girls used to eat me out of house and home,” Anna commented, shaking her head. Glancing down, she made sure Juno was eating her food and not dropping crumbs on the floor or in her lap.

Mahmoud laughed. “I remember you called me one day when they were sixteen, begging me to come get Vega because they had eaten everything except the ice cubes.”

“No, I think I ate the ice cubes,” Vega said with a nod. “I remember that day. We were playing around with those dudes all day. What were their names, again?” She shoved some turkey and rice in her mouth.

Artie rubbed her chin and finished chewing a mouthful of food. “Hell, I don’t remember. They moved too soon. They were awesome.”

Vega nodded. “They were.” Their parents scoffed.

“Those boys were bad influences on both of you. Where did you meet them anyway?” Anna inquired, her face scrunched up some.

“Yes, where?” Mahmoud said.

Artie shrugged. “School.”

Anna shook her head and frowned slightly. “How’d _those_ boys get into _that_ school?”

“They were actually pretty smart. They just liked having fun, too,” Vega replied, putting more food in her mouth. 

“So, it’s fun when you disappear with two boys that we don’t know how to get in contact with for two days? You girls acted like we wouldn’t worry about you and what those boys might’ve been doing.” Mahmoud shook his head and frowned deeply.

Quinn shot Artie a look. Artie pretended not to see, looking down at her plate. She shoved more food in her mouth, but Quinn would question her about this story later on. 

“What? There was zero chance of us coming back pregnant,” Vega chuckled. “As much testosterone as Art had in her back then, if anything you should’ve been worried about her being someone’s father.”

“Hey, she’s five someone’s father,” Venus remarked, already halfway done with her plate full of food. 

“Without testosterone,” Aphrodite added, also nearly done. They put the food away like Artie and it was a little scary to think about having to feed all of them. Quinn had to give it up to Anna for being able to do that.

Mahmoud smiled at Artie. “You’re doing a fine job of being a father.”

Artie laughed and Quinn assumed Mahmoud was joking. He was very relaxed around them. Quinn was surprised that he was so open and at ease with his only daughter being a lesbian. It seemed that any grief Vega gave him had to do with actual poor decisions rather than who she had fallen in love with.  _I wish my dad was like that_. 

“Not so great at not causing us worry, though,” Mahmoud added.

Artie groaned. “Ah, why’d you have to throw that part in? I had an awesome compliment working there.”

“One thing doesn’t negate the other,” he assured her.

Artie shrugged. Before she could go back to concentrating on her food, she made sure her sisters understood it was not cool for them to ever disappear with anyone for two days, especially boys. The girls all mumbled something that sounded like understanding, but Quinn was fairly certain if they ever pulled anything like that, Artie would end up killing people. 

“So, may I ask how long you’ve known Anna, Mister Nasri?” Quinn asked, partway through the dinner. Vega and Artie were already on second helpings and the twins were not far behind. 

“Please, call me Mahmoud. Everyone here does. We’re all friends,” he replied.

“All right, Mahmoud,” she said, testing it out. “How long have you known Anna?” 

“Anna interviewed for me an obscene amount of years ago,” he answered, making a waving gesture with his hand.

“I was fresh out of college and for some reason he thought to interview me for his already popular resort,” Anna commented with a small smile. “I still don’t understand how I got the job.” 

“You got the job because you’re the best, Mommy,” Juno stated, as if it was utterly obvious. Her sisters smiled and agreed.

Mahmoud smiled. “To tell you the truth, Artie got you the job.” He nodded toward the bodybuilder.

Artie craned an eyebrow and swallowed down what she was eating. “I did what now?”

“Vega was very impressed with you that day and wanted to know if you’d be around again,” Mahmoud said. “It was a tipping point for me. I mean, don’t get me wrong, Anna, you were wonderful in the interview and very impressive, but Artie put you over the top.”

Vega’s brow wrinkled. “I always thought we met in school.” 

“You met again. Anna never brought Artie back to work until you guys were at the same school, but on the day of the interview, she said she couldn’t find anyone to babysit. I had someone sitting you, so I told her to put Artie with you. I also put you in that school because Anna sang its praises with Artie. You were ready for school and I thought you could use a friend, as you had spent most of your life with just me at that point,” Mahmoud explained. 

“You always complain that me and Artie get mixed up in stuff, yet you’re the one that brought us together,” Vega commented with a grin, motioning between herself and Artie. 

Mahmoud shrugged and smiled. “What can I say? I just want my brightest star to be happy.”

Vega actually blushed. Quinn doubted she’d ever see such a sight again. The entire pantheon laughed. Vega playfully threatened Artie, shaking a fist at her. Of course, Artie just laughed harder. 

The dinner conversation flowed without a pause. There was talk of school, work, hobbies, projects, and the fact that Artie needed to fix some tiles in the kitchen. There was a discussion on New Year’s plans and resolutions, which led to everyone calling bullshit on everyone else’s resolution. Before they realized it, the food was gone and two hours had past. Vega, Yvonne, and Mahmoud had to leave.

“New Year’s Eve, call me,” Artie said to Vega and Yvonne. 

“I know just the place to go,” Yvonne told her.

“Okay, give us a call,” Artie said, putting her arm around Quinn’s shoulders.

“You’ll enjoy it,” Yvonne promised Quinn, giving her a hug. Quinn hugged her back and smiled. 

When the guests were gone, Artie retired to her bedroom, locking the door basement door. Quinn followed her, thinking her lover might want to cash in on her morning promise. But, when Artie collapsed on the bed and curled into her pillow, Quinn thought Artie might actually be seeking some very rare alone time.

“Should I leave?” Quinn asked. 

“Of course not, Princess. Come lay down if you want. And if you didn’t notice, your presents from your grandparents are at the foot of the bed.” 

Quinn hadn’t noticed the gifts and didn’t think twice about them beyond moving them off the bed. She eased in next to Artie, who pulled her close. Artie kissed her forehead.

“Does the great and powerful Artemis actually need a moment to recuperate?” Quinn teased. 

Artie chuckled. “It’s either a nap or an animal sacrifice.”

“Didn’t we already do the animal sacrifice? You basically ate an entire bull not too long ago. Definitely close to an entire turkey.” 

Artie laughed and sank deeper into her pillow, cuddling Quinn a little closer. This was how it was on Thanksgiving, too, when the siblings managed to eat themselves into food comas, only to merge a couple of hours later in search of more food. Quinn wondered if the younger ladies were upstairs, passed out in the living room or if they managed to make it to their beds.

“Do you think I’ll ever get to the point of gorging myself like you and the pantheon?” Quinn asked in a low voice.

Artie closed her eyes. “Nope. The twins are growing, crazy as it is, and the others just follow our examples. You’ve got your routine and we have ours. You noticed my mother doesn’t eat like it’s the last meal she’ll ever have. Why? Are you worried about getting fat?” she chuckled and scratched Quinn’s flat stomach. 

Quinn laughed. “A gym rat like you, would you love me if I were fat?”

Artie leaned in and kissed her neck while resting her palm against Quinn’s abdomen. “I would love you no matter what. You get as fat as you want.”

“You say that now until I am fat. Then, you’ll never want to have sex with me again.”

Artie laughed. “I doubt that’s possible, but just in case, I better get in more than enough sex with you now. So, I’m going to take a ten-minute power nap and then you promised me some rather damning Christmas sex. You’d better deliver.” 

Quinn chuckled and wasn’t surprised that Artie was asleep as soon as she finished that sentence. She wanted to learn that trick, falling asleep immediately had to come in handy. She just laid there, listening to Artie breathe, watching her, and caressing her.

She couldn’t help thinking how handsome Artie was. Her rich, olive-tone skin was perfect and surprisingly soft. The way her hair fell into her face when she didn’t put gel in it was adorable. Running her fingers across Artie’s hard muscles, especially her biceps, she thought about how those arms held her together. This relationship was her glue and kept her from falling apart. 

She played with Artie’s fingers. They were long, strong, and callused fingers with fingernails that were as short as possible without causing her fingers to bleed. Quinn smiled thinking about how crazy Artie went when she needed to scratch something. She loved being the one that did the scratching. She was taken from her thoughts as Artie groaned and squeezed her.

“Ten minutes up yet?” Artie asked with her eyes still closed. 

Quinn glanced at the clock on the nightstand. “They were up twenty minutes ago.”

Artie chuckled, a deep, throaty sound. “I guess I needed more sleep than I thought.”

“Apparently. So, what now?” Quinn asked with a smirk, which Artie couldn’t see because she didn’t open her eyes yet. 

“I dunno…” A smile played on Artie’s lips.

Quinn figured it might be time to make good on her promise. She moved, placing a long, lingering, passionate kiss to Artie’s mouth. That seemed to wake Artie up completely as her hands immediately went right to Quinn’s shirt, pulling it over her head. Her hands palmed Quinn’s bare breasts, getting a moan out of both of them. Thankfully, they swallowed the noise. The last thing they wanted was to attract any attention. 

For a long moment, or so it seemed, Artie toyed with Quinn’s breasts. Sometimes, Artie seemed fascinated with Quinn’s cleavage and Quinn certainly didn’t mind. Her hands, her fingers were always careful and pleasant, making Quinn feel treasured.

Soon, Artie’s mouth was on her, kissing and sucking her way down to Quinn’s breasts. Quinn groaned, biting her lip, trying to keep the sound from traveling. It was a hard task when Artie attention zeroed in on her nipples. Quinn dug her nails into Artie’s back as Artie’s tongue and lips did things to her body that she hadn’t imagined before Artie. 

Quinn managed to gather herself enough to realize Artie was still wearing her shirt. It was a problem easily remedied. Quinn got a chance to play with Artie’s chest and running her hands over Artie’s breasts, earning little noises from Artie. She loved Artie’s small breasts and loved that she could drag those sounds out of Artie’s throat from simply enjoying her cleavage. She pinched one plump nipple and Artie yelped. Quinn laughed until Artie got revenge, gently biting Quinn’s nipple. It sent jolts of pleasure right between Quinn’s thighs.

“I need you now,” Quinn panted, taking one of Artie’s hand and trailing it down her stomach.

Artie smirked. “I could never deny you.”

Artie sat up and removed Quinn’s pants and then her own. Quinn whimpered as the cold air hit her heated flesh. She only got hotter as Artie’s body covered hers, making her forget about any cold. Artie kissed her, long and hard. She arched her body as Artie slid a finger through Quinn’s overflowing passion. 

“Please,” Quinn whined, rubbing against Artie, wanting to feel more of Artie’s body against her own. 

Artie smiled and gave Quinn exactly what she wanted. This time, Quinn moaned, loudly, welcoming Artie’s fingers. Digging her nails in, she tried to pull Artie closer. They couldn’t be close enough, ever. She moaned more as Artie devoured her mouth again, more than likely to make sure Quinn didn’t alert the pantheon with her noise. Quinn returned the kiss and moved against Artie’s fingers with reckless abandon. When she fell over the edge, she clutched Artie to her, holding on for dear life. 

“God, you’re good at that,” Quinn whispered before kissing Artie on the cheek.

Artie grinned. “You know I do my best.” 

“Your best is awesome.” She offered an exhausted smile of her own. “Hey, I want to try something.”

Artie arched an eyebrow. “What?” 

“You know how you sometimes like me on top, but more sitting on you…” Quinn groaned, feeling that wasn’t an accurate description. She would eventually have to get over her shyness in discussing sexual matters, especially considering how much she enjoyed sex with Artie. She would do probably just about anything with Artie, so she needed to be able to talk about it.

Laughing, Artie’s eyes sparkled. “You want me to sit on your face? You sure you’re ready for that?” 

Quinn gave her a teasing smirk. “Just something else to improve on.”

Artie groaned. “I’m seriously never going to live that down, huh?” 

“Nope. Now, let me give it a try.”

Artie smirked and moved, sitting up. Quinn wiggled a bit as Artie moved up her body. Quinn realized she needed to prop her head up a bit, so she moved the pillow. 

“You need help?” Artie asked.

“I’ve got it.” 

Artie smiled and Quinn took in the sight in front of her. She’d never seen Artie at this angle before and thought it to be as glorious as all of the other ways that she saw Artie. She rubbed her nose in Artie abdomen, kissing her belly button.

“That’s not the right spot. But, I’ll give you a minute to learn the area,” Artie teased. Quinn swatted her on her bare butt for that. “Ow,” she laughed. “Just remember we don’t have all day, so you can’t spank me for long.” 

Quinn nipped Artie’s hip for being a bit of a brat. But, Artie was right. Any moment someone could be knocking on the door, wanting to know where they were or what they were doing. So, without any warning, she dived right in, sucking Artie into her mouth. Artie groaned and wrapped her hand in Quinn’s hair, holding on tight.

Quinn gripped Artie’s ass, pulling her closer, taking as much of Artie in her mouth as possible. Artie tugged on her hair, which Quinn took as a good sign. Kneading Artie’s ass, she feasted on her lover, earning whimpers and sharp inhales. When Artie’s grip tightened, Quinn glanced up and noticed Artie had her other hand pressed against the wall and had her eyes screwed shut. She was also biting her bottom lip, trying to control any sounds that might escape her.

Quinn did her best to push Artie over the edge quickly. Clutching onto Artie’s rear, she licked and sucked, doing her best. She could feel Artie’s muscles coil and shake as Artie released a long, low groan. 

“We are so going to Hell,” Artie muttered as she slumped down and held Quinn’s head to her abdomen.

Quinn chuckled. “It can’t be Hell if you’re there.”

Artie smiled and made her way down to give Quinn a sensual kiss. They then settled back down on the bed. Quinn laid on top of Artie and covered them with a blanket. This was the strangest, but possibly best Christmas ever. 

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: New Year’s Eve double date with Artie and Quinn and Vega and Yvonne. They might get into a little trouble.


	28. New Year

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: there’s a brief spot of racism and homophobia in this chapter.

28: New Year

On New Year’s Eve, Artie always hung out with Vega and Yvonne and was looking forward to her first New Year’s with Quinn. She wanted to make sure it was better than Quinn’s New Year’s Eve last year, but she wasn’t sure how to do it. It wasn’t because Quinn’s holiday was so great, but that Quinn was still a bit shy with being out with her because people stared and whispered. She wondered if Quinn ever noticed a couple of times someone had even snapped a picture of them. 

“Are you eating cake?” Quinn asked incredulously as Artie bit into a slice of cake. She sat on the sofa with the cake in one hand and her phone in the other.

“The girls made it. Am I supposed to just tell Venus, no, I won’t eat the cake?” Artie countered. She could just imagine the pain and heartache on the teen’s face. She didn’t have the time or heart for that.

Quinn chuckled as she eased down next to Artie. “And then you’re going to eat a piece of the cake Aphrodite made, too?”

Artie grinned. “If necessary. I can’t win with them. If I eat one and not the other, then I love the first twin more.”

Shaking her head, Quinn rubbed Artie’s abdomen. “Well, you know Tia’s planning to make a cake, too. Are you going to eat that, too?”

Artie groaned. “I’m gonna get fat.”  _Why are all of my sisters so obsessed with baking now?_

“How are you going to get fat?” Vega asked. She was on the other end of the phone.

“The pantheon is on a baking kick and I’m expected to sample the wares. But, anyway, where do you want to go?” Artie asked, putting the cake down on the empty space beside her. She reached for Quinn, who smiled and sat in her lap.

“I liked the bar last year,” Vega answered.

Artie twisted her face up, even though Vega could not see her. “Why do you want to go to a bar? You don’t even drink.”

Vega scoffed. “I know, but it was a nice bar. I thought the atmosphere was nice and, believe it or not, it’s nice to not be surrounded by lesbians all the time. Just being in a regular bar was nice.”

Artie rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Is that what Tega wants to do?” She remembered Yvonne seemed to have plans for them already and she was willing to bet they differed from Vega’s idea.

“Yvonne’s gonna do what the hell I tell her to do,” Vega declared.

A scoff escaped Artie. “She’s not there right now, is she?”

“No, she’s with her cousins building snow stuff.” It had snowed last night, almost a foot. Artie was grateful for it because all of her sisters were outside, like Yvonne and her family apparently.

Artie turned to Quinn. “Do you want to go to a bar tonight or would you prefer a club?”

Quinn touched her chin in thought. “Um… I don’t know about anywhere around here, so I trust your judgment.”

“Vega, I’ll agree to the bar if Tega’s cool with it. I’d rather try a lounge or something,” Artie said.

“I can do a lounge. I’ll see what Tega wants and I’ll call you back in a couple of hours.”

“All right.” Artie disconnected the call and dropped the phone to the couch. She picked up her cake and cut a bit off with her fork. “Want some?” She put the fork to Quinn’s lips.

Quinn arched an eyebrow and looked at the cake. “How’s it taste? This is her first time making cake on her own.”

Artie shrugged. “It’s all right. Mom makes it better, but it won’t kill you.”

Quinn offered her a half-smirk and raised eyebrow, but tried the cake anyway. “Hey, it’s not that bad.”

“I know. I told you.”

Quinn laughed and Artie cut off more cake. Quinn took that bite, too. Artie smiled and they played a little game to see if Quinn could eat the cake before Artie could. Artie was sure this type of behavior would’ve annoyed her from anyone else, but with Quinn, she thought it was cute. Once the cake was gone, they cuddled on the couch, enjoying the time alone.

“So, what’s this bar like?” Quinn asked, her head resting right under Artie’s chin.

“Hell if I remember. We went there last year, but I got drunk, so it’s a blur.”

Quinn frowned and pulled back to make sure Artie could see the expression. “Well, no getting drunk this time. It’s fine to drink a little, but it’s not attractive to be drunk.”

Artie shrugged. “Fine. You’re gonna turn into a nag?” She put a smile on her face to make sure Quinn understood she was teasing.

Quinn stuck her tongue out. “Fine, you get drunk, but you’ll be spending the night cuddled up with your pillow.”

“And where are you going to sleep?”

“Your mother’s working, so I’ll put someone in her bed and sleep in theirs.”

Artie frowned because that was just crazy enough to work. “You got me there.”

“Does your mother mind working on New Year’s?”

Artie shook her head. “Nah. I think she likes putting together stuff for holidays over at the resort. She comes up with good ideas and runs through them like clockwork. She gets all proud and everything. It’s actually nice to see.”

Quinn nodded and they were quiet. A few minutes later, Artie had to tend to Diana, who rushed into the house wailing. There was snow in the corner of her eye and nose. She threw herself on Artie and Quinn. Quinn moved, so Artie could comfort the child.

“Hey, Piglet, what happened?” Artie cooed, getting up to shut the door.

“Ti-ti-ti-Tia, h-h-hit me wif a snowball!” Diana buried her head into Artie’s neck, wetting the eldest with the snow and her tears.

“Tia!” Artie barked, standing in the doorway while holding Diana in her arms as she bawled into her chest.

“What?” Tia countered, not even bothering to turn around. Instead, she continued packing snow together from her spot by the sidewalk in front of the house.

“Who the hell are you answering?” Artie demanded. Someone might need to come inside for a little while.

Tia flinched and turned around. Artie pointed down to the ground in front of her. Tia wisely came without giving her lip.

“Did you throw a snowball at the Piglet?” Artie scowled.

Tia glanced at the ground and pushed snow around with her foot. “We were playing.”

“Tia, look at me,” Artie ordered and waited for Tia to do as she was told. “Now, did you throw a snowball at the Piglet?”

“We were playing,” Tia said through gritted teeth.

Artie craned an eyebrow. “So, that’s a yes?”

“The twins were throwing, too!” Tia stomped her booted foot.

“Did they hit the Piglet with one, though?” Artie inquired. If they did, she’d have to talk to them about the example they were setting.

Tia looked down at the ground and kicked her foot out. “We were playing.”

“Okay, did you apologize?”

“No,” Tia grumbled.

“So, how about you try doing that?”

Tia frowned and looked behind her. Artie frowned even more now. _What the hell is she looking at?_

“Tia, look at me,” Artie commanded while Diane whimpered against her.

Tia huffed through her nose, causing a puff of white to come out before her eyes found Artie’s. “Okay.”

“Now, fix your face.” Artie rubbed Diana’s back. Tia’s face tensed and she struggled to put on a neutral expression. “Good. Now, don’t you have something you want to say to your little sister?” She turned Diana to see Tia.

Tia puffed out her cheeks, as if she was upset, but then she focused on Diana. Her expression fell and she swallowed. Rubbing her eye with the heel of her hand, she took a breath.

“I’m sorry, Piglet. I didn’t mean to hurt you,” Tia said, reaching out and rubbing Diana’s back.

Diana sniffed and Artie wiped away her tears. Comforting her, Artie caressed her cheek. It took her a few seconds to stop sniveling.

“Piglet, Tia said she was sorry. Do you accept her apology?” Artie asked. Diana could only manage a nod. “All right.” Artie turned her attention back to Tia. “Okay, you’re free to go. Tell Juno’s she got an hour more out here because I know her little nose is about to fall off.”

Tia nodded. “Um… and me?”

“You’ve got thirty more minutes than the Bug. Actually,” Artie said and pressed her free hand to Tia’s face. Tia jumped back. “Oh, you are cold. Tell the Bug, she’s got fifteen minutes. You’ve got a half-hour.”

“But, I’m not cold!”

“Yeah, you say that now, but you’ve got a little button nose that’s glowing red.”

Tia pouted, but rushed off to get in her time in the snow. Artie went to take care of Diana, whose face was red from bawling and being hit by the snowball. Stripping Diana out of her wet snow gear, she drew the girl a bath and afterward put her in her pajamas. She made Diana a little snack of peanut butter and jelly crackers. Diana calmed down and she fell asleep as soon as she was done with her food.

Juno came in next at the right time. Artie did the same with her as she did with Diana. Quinn helped out, making Juno’s snack while Artie hustled Tia into the house.

“How come the twins don’t have to come in?” Tia huffed.

“Because they’re not out front anymore. Besides, you can go back out in a half-hour. I don’t want you to freeze to death,” Artie stated.

Tia made a face and Artie shook her head. She was about to reprimand Tia about her attitude, but her phone went off. She totally forgot about Vega.

“Hey,” Artie answered.

“Hey, Yvonne wanted to go somewhere else. So, we’ll be by to pick you up around ten. Cool?” Vega inquired.

“Good.” Her grandparents would definitely be at the house by then.

-8-8-8-8-

Quinn did her best not to pace the small basement after she dressed for her double date. Artie was preparing in the bathroom, wanting to leave Quinn’s appearance as a surprise. Quinn thought it was cute, but that didn’t stop the butterflies in her stomach.

“We’re going to be a bar full of people who will probably just stare at Artie and wonder if she’s a boy or if we’re lesbians. Unless, of course, this is a lesbian bar. Are they gonna think I’m a lesbian?” Quinn tried to shake the thought away. She needed to finish getting ready.

Even if she was nervous, she wanted to go out with Artie. They needed a break from taking care of the girls and they needed to enjoy each other. They needed to act their age. Yes, she thought Artie’s responsible side was sexy, but they needed to do more.

She put on some makeup, knowing Artie would appreciate it. She slipped into some strappy heels, which would make her feet cold when they stepped outside, but Artie’s face when she saw them was worth that price. Of course, there was always a chance that Artie wouldn’t let her leave the house when she saw the outfit, which could be a good or a bad thing.

“Well, we’ll see how she reacts. I wish she had a full length mirror so I had a better idea of how I look,” Quinn said. The best she could do was stand as far back as she could from the vanity mirror. She still couldn’t see her whole body. A knock at the door let her know it was too late to change, so she’d have to take her chances.

“I hope I look as good as I think I do,” Quinn muttered as she marched out of the basement.

Artie’s russet eyes went wide as soon as Quinn emerged. Quinn smirked, enjoying the reaction. She had on a midnight blue dress that clung to her, especially highlighting her bust; in fact, she looked like she might spill out of the dress. She had given her eyes a smoky look that matched her dress and shoes.

“Wow,” Artie muttered.

Quinn smiled. “Same here.” Artie was dressed almost normally, in a dark blue vest and matching slacks. With her sun-colored shirt, she wore a blue tie swirled with white. It was so obviously a man’s suit, but Artie filled it out and wore it well. Quinn wanted to take it off of her immediately.

“You look beautiful,” Artie finally said, taking Quinn’s hand.

“You look handsome and shockingly up-to-date,” Quinn teased.

Artie smirked. “I figured I’d surprise you, but you surprise me. You look…” Artie just trailed off. She leaned down with a hand settling on Quinn’s hip and moving temptingly close to Quinn’s ass. “You look fucking gorgeous. So fucking gorgeous,” she whispered, her breath tickling Quinn’s ear, causing shivers down Quinn’s spine.

“Don’t mess with my ears,” Quinn replied in a breath. She felt ready to melt just from Artie’s hand on her. There was no telling what she might do if Artie teased her ears.

Artie chuckled and placed a little kiss to Quinn’s ear. “Maybe I want to mess with your ears.”

“And have Vega curse you out for the rest of the week when we’re not ready and waiting?” Quinn pointed out.

Artie scowled. “Damn it.” She pulled back and led Quinn to the living room by her hand. Tori and Andre sat on the couch.

“Don’t you two make a dashing pair,” Andre commented with a grin as he looked at them.

“Archer, you make sure you take good care of Quinn. Don’t let any of those bar dogs harass her,” Tori warned, wagging her finger at her granddaughter.

“I got this, Nana. I’m not letting anyone bother my lady love,” Artie declared with a smile before grabbing Quinn’s coat from the closet.

Tori laughed. “Your lady love, huh? Did she put you in that suit?”

Artie rolled her eyes. “I went shopping with Granddad once if you must know.” She slipped Quinn’s coat onto her shoulders.

“She needs some serious clothes,” Andre added in with a shrug.

“Thank you,” Quinn said sincerely. While she thought Artie’s vintage style was cute and original, it wasn’t something that she wanted to see Artie in all the time.

Artie pouted, which earned her a sweet kiss on the cheek to lift her spirits. They bade the elder Brenners farewell as Artie grabbed her own coat. Artie held the door open for Quinn and put on her coat as they braved the frigid winter air. Vega and Yvonne waited right out in front, in Vega’s car. Quinn practically dived in the back seat to her protect legs. Artie slid in beside her. Vega wasted no time driving off.

“It’s freezing!” Quinn complained with a shiver.

“I can keep you warm,” Artie remarked, putting a hand on Quinn’s chilled thigh.

Quinn shrieked and slapped Artie’s hand away. “Oh, my god! How can your hands be that cold from being outside for thirty seconds!”

Artie laughed, like she knew her hands were freezing. “It’s a gift.”

“You’re horrible,” Quinn huffed.

“I’m glad someone else finally sees it,” Vega declared.

“At least I’m still Tega’s favorite, right?” Artie grinned and Vega glared at her via the rearview mirror.

They all complained about the cold again when they had to get out. Vega got a fairly decent parking spot, but they still had to walk. Quinn’s legs and feet were freezing by the time they made it to the door. Thankfully, there wasn’t a wait to get in.

“Quinn, you look gorgeous in that dress,” Yvonne declared as they checked their coats.

“If by gorgeous you mean cold,” Vega teased.

Yvonne glared at her. “Keep it up and you won’t see me in a pretty dress for a long time.” The threat silenced Vega. “Now, as I was saying, Quinn, you look gorgeous.”

“Thank you,” Quinn replied.

“I’m surprised you made it. I can’t believe Artie was able to control herself,” Yvonne teased, giving Artie a wink.

Quinn smirked. “You’re not the only one who knows how to motivate her girlfriend.”

Yvonne chuckled. Quinn looked around and found that they were in a karaoke club. She glanced at Yvonne, who just smiled impishly at her. Quinn decided not to say anything, just take in the atmosphere and find out why Yvonne wanted to go here of all places. There was a mix of people, but the majority seemed to be their age or maybe a little bit older. Quinn hated that she actually felt relief that it wasn’t a lesbian bar. Hanging out with three lesbians, she had assumed they’d want to go somewhere with lesbians.

“Come on, let’s go sing something!” Yvonne chirped, tugging Vega deeper into the club.

Artie put an arm around Quinn and led her after the eager young woman. “Yvonne loves singing,” Artie whispered into Quinn’s ear.

“Is she any good?”

“I’ll let you judge.”

Quinn wondered what that meant, but thought it probably wasn’t good. She expected Artie to sing Yvonne’s praises whenever she was good at something. The group found a table and Artie took off to get drinks.

“This place is nice,” Quinn said to Yvonne.

Yvonne nodded. “Yes! I found it online. I love karaoke. Vega and Artie hate it.” She giggled.

“I hate it, but I love you, so I’ll put up with it,” Vega grumbled.

“Oh, so sweet!” Yvonne kissed Vega on the mouth without hesitating.

Quinn smiled a little.  _They’re so comfortable with each other, even out here in front of all of these people. I want that with Artie_. Well, she wouldn’t get it if she kept worrying about what other people might say. People would always whisper and she’d just have to deal with it.

“Here we go, folks,” Artie said as she returned, sliding their drinks in front of them.

“Oh, you’re so sweet,” Yvonne said, batting her eyes.

Artie grinned. “I told you, Vega, I’m always gonna be Tega’s favorite.”

Vega glared. “She just tolerates you.” She dismissed Artie with a flick of her wrist.

Artie grinned. This was something that fascinated Quinn even before she dated Artie. Vega always seemed genuinely upset and offended that Artie would dare suggest that she was Yvonne’s favorite. What could be there that made Vega take such offense?

The question faded from her mind as Artie took her hand and held it in her still freezing hand. She smiled at Artie to let her know it was all right. Artie laughed as Yvonne shot up and dragged Vega off. Quinn chuckled until she noticed some people to the left, pointing at Artie and whispering. Artie must’ve noticed where her eyes were because she turned to see to. Artie frowned and let her hand go.  _No! I want to hold that cold hand!_

But, Quinn didn’t reach back for it. Artie turned away, looking elsewhere.  _Is Artie upset with me?_ Well, she could always ask, but she worried that it would be confirmed.  _She’s probably upset that I let her pull away. She knows I don’t like the stares, but she’s upset that I let them get to me_.

Pulling Quinn from her internal loathing, Yvonne pushed Vega on stage for karaoke. Vega looked miserable, frowning and trying to walk off. Yvonne wouldn’t let her. They began to sing and Quinn was stunned. They were like two wonderful songbirds.

“Wow,” Quinn muttered.

Artie laughed. “You didn’t expect a muscle-head like Vega to sound like that, huh?”

Quinn shook her head in earnest. She hadn’t expected either of them to actually sound good. At the end of the song, Yvonne laughed and leaned against Vega, who frowned sourly. Yvonne kissed her, a completely romantic kiss, in front of the cheering crowd, who only cheered more. Vega couldn’t fight off the smile as Yvonne pulled away and they made their way off stage.

“Vega, stop looking like you’re sucking on a lemon. Do you know how many people here wished Tega would kiss them?” Artie teased her best friend.

Vega only scowled, but it only took a few seconds for a drunken man to wander over and prove Artie right. “Hey,” he slurred, leaning down in Yvonne’s face.

Yvonne cringed, but quickly schooled her features into her usual friendly, bright face. “Yes?” God bless her for tolerating him.

“How about you give me a kiss now?” He leaned in, lips puckered, as if he fully intended to kiss Yvonne. Vega grabbed him while Artie jumped to her feet.

“Sir, that’s enough,” Vega growled, holding onto him.

He turned, yanked his body away, and almost stumbled over. “If the bitch can kiss a raghead like you, she can’t be too picky.”

“Hey!” Artie barked, throwing her chair back before marching around the table. If people weren’t staring before, they definitely were watching now.

Before anything serious happened, a bouncer rushed over. He took the man from Vega, but both Vega and Artie kept their eyes on him. The bouncer focused on them.

“What’s going on?” the bouncer and Artie explained what happened.

“Are you gonna believe this Ay-rab dyke and her fucking tranny friend? She probably trying to blow the place up or some shit,” the drunkard said, which only backed up Vega and Artie more. He then sneered in Yvonne’s direction. “This les-bitch wanted me to kiss her.”

“All right, pal, I think you’ve had enough,” the bouncer said. He wasted no time showing the guy out and surprisingly came back to let the group know their next round was on the house. “We don’t tolerate that kind of stuff around here. If anyone else gives you ladies any problems, let me know. I’ll be more than happy to toss ‘em out on their ass,” the bouncer declared, jabbing his thumb at the door.

“Thanks,” Artie replied, giving the large man a handshake.

He shook his head. “No problem. No room for idiots around here.”

Despite the bouncer being a very cool guy, more people than ever stared. Artie, Vega, and Yvonne seemed totally oblivious. They enjoyed their drinks and talked. Yvonne even dragged Vega back onto stage for an encore, complete with another kiss at the end; although, this one was less romantic. They seemed so comfortable and relaxed.

“You okay?” Artie asked, discreetly putting a comforting hand on Quinn’s knee.

Quinn nodded. “I am. I just wish I could ignore it all like you guys.”

“You have to ignore it or you let idiots control your life,” Yvonne chimed in as she and Vega sat back down. “We came out to have fun. They shouldn’t impede us. They’re not going home with us at the end of the night.”

Quinn nodded because it made sense. She knew it, but needed to accept it. Well, needed to find a way to accept. The path didn’t come to her until they were all counting down. She needed to take the bull by the horns like her companions did… or take the Artie by the collar in her case.

When everyone in the place shouted “one,” Quinn grabbed Artie and yanked her down to her level. Artie actually yelped when their mouths collided. Artie wasted no time recovering and returning the kiss. Artie wrapped her arms around Quinn and pulled her close. Quinn put her arms around Artie’s neck and forgot the world existed. There was only her, Artie, and their love.

They had to breathe and the world came back. The stares came back from a few people who obviously didn’t want to celebrate the New Year in a pleasant way and for a moment Quinn felt panic. But, suddenly, her love swallowed the panic. Artie’s arms around her and Artie’s eyes staring at her with such love that it could set her on fire were what mattered, not the masses.

“Hey, why don’t you all mind your own business? If anybody has a problem with me kissing the woman that I love, you can go to freaking Hell!” Quinn declared.

Artie laughed and Quinn kissed her again. Happy New Year didn’t even cover it. 

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Artie and Quinn go to Quinn’s parents’ house to get her stuff.


	29. Home Coming

29: Home Coming

“I want to go get your stuff from your parents’ house,” Artie said as she picked up clutter from the living room. The twins washed the mountain of dishes and cleaned the kitchen counters, Tia had the unfortunate job of cleaning the bathroom (picking jobs out of a hat was not her friend), and their grandparents had taken Juno and Diana for a few hours just so everyone could clean the house. The house needed it.

“I guess I’ll have to do that,” Quinn said with a sigh, searching for random clothes. She volunteered to do laundry. Now, if only the girls didn’t believe in leaving their clothing _everywhere_. This was possibly a habit they picked up from Artie, who was infamous for this as far as Quinn was concerned.

“We should do it as soon as the girls go back to school. We’ll drive to your parents and get your stuff. I don’t want to give them a chance to throw your stuff out,” Artie said. She hoped they hadn’t done that already. She remembered Quinn said her father was biding his time to turn her room back into his office. 

Quinn frowned, but looked like she hadn’t considered that could happen. “I don’t want them to throw it out either.”

“We’ll go get it.” 

“When do the girls’ go back to school?”

“In a couple of days. So, we’ll go then, okay?” 

Quinn nodded. Artie wished they could go now because she knew Quinn had some things in her childhood bedroom that she wanted, like her prize ribbons for her short stories and pictures from her high school days. Unfortunately, Artie had to watch the girls. She wouldn’t let Quinn go there by herself. She knew Quinn thought she was being too cautious, but she didn’t want to leave anything to chance right now. 

“I think I’ll tell Vega to come with us, too,” Artie said. She doubted they’d need the backup, but she’d rather be safe than sorry. She’d seen angry people do some stupid things.

“Do you really think that’ll be necessary? My mother might be the only one there and that’s only a maybe,” Quinn pointed out.

Artie thought about it. “Vega might be overkill. I’ll see what time we leave. If we make it to your parents’ sometime in the morning, we should be all right.”

Quinn nodded and went back to gathering clothing. Artie hated picking up after her sisters, but she could only intimidate them into cleaning so much. Punishments didn’t work to a degree either.

“These kids, man…” Artie sighed, shaking her head. “Can you just find them all girlfriends like you and then bam! Not messy anymore.” 

Quinn chuckled. “Do you really think you’re not messy anymore? Do you see what I’m doing now? I do this for you all the time!”

Artie made a face. “What? I pick up my clothes now.” 

Quinn scoffed. “Some of them, yeah. But, I pick up your stuff all the time.”

Artie made a face, even though she was certain it was true. They continued on cleaning until the house relatively clear. 

-8-8-8-8-

Artie pulled Quinn’s car up to the front of the Matherson household. Quinn kept fiddling with her gloves. Artie put her hands over Quinn’s. 

“I’ll go in if you want me to. You can just sit here and I’ll strip your room for you,” Artie offered. It sounded horrible to her after she said it. Like there wasn’t even a chance of the Mathersons changing their minds and accepting Quinn back into the family. “Sorry.”

Quinn sniffled. “Don’t be sorry. They’re not going to welcome me back. But, I need to go in there. I need to be strong. God, it’s bad enough I let the outside world dictate how I act with you on dates, but I can’t let my family dictate my life when they’re just so superficial. Although, I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” 

Artie squeezed Quinn’s hands and smiled at her. “My love, you’re not superficial. You’re adjusting to me wonderfully. Didn’t we go out on New Years? Didn’t you kiss me in a crowded room when the ball dropped? Didn’t you tell anyone who had a problem with it to go to Hell?”

Quinn gave her a demure smile. “I was caught in the moment. And to Hell with people who stare, anyway. I love you.”

Artie chuckled. “See, you’re not superficial. You’re fine. They’re the ones with the problem.”

Quinn smiled and wiped her eyes, even though no tears had fallen. Artie exited the car, pulling her hat down over her ears to avoid getting scolded as cold air surrounded her. She trotted around the car and opened Quinn’s door for her, helping her out of the car. They held hands as they approached the door. Quinn took a deep breath.

“Should I knock? I don’t feel right using my key after being told not to come back,” Quinn said.

“We’ll try knocking first, but if no one answers, then we’ll use the key and pack you up. Unless you want to wait around. Maybe your parents did change their minds,” Artie replied.

Quinn shook her head and knocked on the door. They waited, but there was no answer. Artie knocked the second time, knowing she could do it much louder. There was still no answer. Quinn let them in with the key after that and they found the house empty. Quinn sighed, her shoulders dropping slightly.

“You wanted them to be home, didn’t you?” Artie asked. Quinn obviously held out some hope that her parents could be reasoned with. Artie put her arm around Quinn’s shoulders.

Quinn nodded. “I did. I don’t know why, but I did.”

“Because they’re your parents. You want them to love you unconditionally, like parents should. You wanted them to see you walk through that door and realize it was a mistake to let you go. And, it was a mistake. Maybe they just need to realize this doesn’t change you. It might take more than a week.”

Quinn let out a long exhale. They discovered it might take much longer than a week. Quinn’s room was already bare. Thankfully, things were boxed up rather than thrown out. The bed was gone, but it wasn’t like that could fit in the car.

“God, they didn’t waste any time, did they?” Quinn muttered, glancing around at what was once her bedroom. “Is it so horrible?” she quavered.

“Baby, don’t think about it that way.”

“I don’t understand. I mean, they threw me out just because I love you. Your mother used to insult your sexuality when she was upset with you. Is it so awful?”

Artie sighed and put her arms around Quinn. “Love, I wish I had the answer to that. My mother, I understand a bit, but that’s because I’ve lived with the woman my whole life. I don’t know why this is so horrible to some people. But, again, maybe they’ll figure out what a bad mistake they made.”

Quinn’s grim expression, mouth drawn in a line, showed she didn’t believe that. Artie searched her mind, trying to think of something to say to make this all better. Nothing came to mind, though. She turned her attention to her lover’s meager belongings.

“Look, how about you go to the car? I can carry these out.” It was only four boxes.

Quinn shook her head. “No. We can do it faster with both of us.”

Artie nodded and took the biggest box, figuring it would be the heaviest. Quinn stood there, staring around her room, probably in total shock. Artie knew she had to do this as quickly as possible to pick up whatever pieces of Quinn were in the room. 

-8-8-8-8-

Quinn felt like her chest would cave in. This was how much she meant to her parents? She dated a woman and they tore her presence from the house in a little over a week? It didn’t make any sense to her.  _I didn’t do anything wrong! Artie’s good to me, loves me, and takes care of me. How the hell could I not love her?_

Shaking her head, Quinn tried to wrap her mind around all of this. Nothing else in her life had ever gotten this sort of reaction from her parents. They’d always been so hands-off with her. The only time they paid her any mind was when someone from the outside confronted them with her. It didn’t happen often, but it never resulted in total exile.  _Is this because of something inside of them or because of what the outside world would think?_

“Princess, you ready to go?” Artie asked.

Quinn jumped at the sound of Artie’s voice. “Go? But, the boxes,” she replied, her voice distant and confused.

“I put them in the car already.” Artie came up behind her and put her hand on Quinn’s shoulder. “You okay?”

“No,” Quinn admitted, putting her hand on Artie’s. She could trust Artie with everything that she was and she didn’t have to carry this alone. “I don’t understand. I mean, what would one of the twins have to do for you to box up their room? What would the Piglet have to do?”

Artie let out a long breath. “Shit, I don’t think they could do something where I’d do that. Maybe your father is just doing this to try to scare you. He thinks you’ll break and do what he wants.”

“He didn’t even call to say my stuff was waiting. They were probably just going to throw it out. It’s trash day. I wonder if my bed is in the trash somewhere.”

Sighing, Artie embraced her and held her tight. “Don’t think about it. It’s their loss and they’ll figure it out.”

Quinn wished that was true, but knew it not to be. “I need to just check and make sure that was everything.”

Artie stepped away. She stood in the doorway while Quinn checked the closet, finding it empty. She hoped a shoebox she kept there was in one of those boxes in the car. Her dresser drawers were also empty. Everything was gone. Every trace of her.

“It’s like I never lived here,” Quinn whispered.

“Don’t think about it. Don’t let them have the last say where you end up hurt and regretting your decision. They’re missing out, not you. They’ve always been missing out,” Artie insisted.

Quinn shook her head. “No, I’ve been missing out my whole life.” She’d never had the types of parents RJ and Veronica had. She’d always been in exile, socially. This was just another extension of that. She should and would get over it eventually. She didn’t have to live that way anymore.

“You’re not missing out now, though. It’s all them,” Artie stated.

Quinn nodded because Artie was right. She wasn’t missing out on anything now, nothing worth holding on to anyway. Maybe if her parents ever did come to their senses, it would be different. But, until then, she had gotten the better end of this deal. Now, they couldn’t hurt her anymore.

Taking Artie’s hand, they exited the house. She locked up and actually left her key in the mailbox. Artie’s squeezed her hand.

“We’ll get you a new set of house keys tomorrow. To the house you’re always welcomed at, the house you actually live in. Home,” Artie said.

“You don’t need to.”

“Of course I do. That’s your house, your home. You should have keys. You’ll definitely be more responsible with them than say, Tia, who can’t keep a key longer than three days and I’m pretty sure Dite swallows her keys,” Artie remarked with a chuckle.

Quinn smiled as Artie opened her car door for her. She slid in and Artie shut the door. Artie got in the driver seat and pulled away. Before they were off the street, Quinn noticed her mother walking toward the house. They locked eyes and her mother looked away. Artie didn’t notice and kept driving. Quinn didn’t stop her.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Artie and Quinn go back to school and get to share an apartment.


	30. Moving In

30: Moving In

School called and Artie loaded Quinn’s car while Quinn held off the pantheon. Quinn was learning to deal with the tears and begging. Artie didn’t leave her too long, dealing with tears, begging, and clinging as well. There were hugs, kisses, promises to call and behave, and then Artie and Quinn had to leave. It took almost twice as long as usual.

Artie drove while Quinn fiddled with the radio. They were supposed to leave earlier to fit in some days to see Quinn’s grandparents, but they told the ladies there was no rush. Quinn trusted their word, so Artie didn’t press. She liked the idea of having more time to mentally prepare for meeting the most important people in Quinn’s life. 

“I can’t believe you’re actually going to stay with me,” Artie commented. She still expected for them to go their separate ways once they got to school. Her heart beat fast in anticipation and some fear.

Quinn smiled and took Artie’s free hand. “Believe it. Now you can’t have a parade of girls coming and going at all times.” 

Artie laughed. “We both know I don’t have a parade of girls. I don’t have the time or energy.”

Quinn gave her a teasing smirk. “Uh-huh, Romeo.”

Artie squeezed Quinn’s hand. “You’re my Juliet then, but we are not killing ourselves. I plan to spend a long life with you.”

Quinn smiled. “Were we this sappy before we started dating?” 

“Nope. You’ve ruined me,” Artie declared with a proud grin. No other woman on Earth made her act or feel this way.

“Consider the feeling mutual.” 

“I hope we stay ruined forever then.”

Chuckling, Quinn nodded. “Yes, I agree.” 

They made small talk about their classes and Artie’s thesis classes, even though they weren’t called that. They were seminar courses. They entertained reasons why the university refused to title them what they were. 

“I suspect they call them that to keep students from panicking, but last term I had to do two huge papers,” Artie said.

“I was there,” Quinn laughed. “I don’t see how ‘thesis’ is less threatening than ‘seminar.’” 

“I don’t know, but I know it’s like terror in three hours and ends with a freaking thesis.”

“Oh, yes, I look forward to that.” Quinn rolled her eyes. 

“Well, this semester, for psych, I have to design an experiment and I get to do an internship for sociology as research for a final paper. So, yeah, I’m looking forward to it, too,” Artie scoffed.

Reaching over, Quinn took Artie’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “You can do it, sweetheart. I’ll be there to support and help you through it and beyond.”

Artie nodded. “And I’ll help you with anything you might need.”

Quinn giggled. “Deal.” 

Quinn gave Artie directions to their dorm only to discover they had one of the on-campus apartments rather than a regular dorm. Artie glanced at Quinn, who tried her best to smile innocently. She failed.

“While it was my idea, my grandparents helped,” Quinn explained. 

Artie craned a dark eyebrow. “Doesn’t this cost more than a dorm room?”

“That’s where the grandparents come in.”

Artie sighed. “I think I’m going to have to talk to your grandparents. I don’t mind them doing for you, but for me, it’s another matter. They don’t even know me.”

“They want to get to know you.” 

Artie frowned. “Then why didn’t they agree to meet up with us?” Never mind the fact that she was relieved when they let the couple off the hook.

“They want us to enjoy our vacation, not rip around the country to see them. They’re not avoiding you or us.” 

Artie nodded, even though she wasn’t totally sure she brought it. She didn’t want to think about why Quinn’s grandparents put off meeting her. it probably wasn’t for any bad reason considering they helped Quinn get this on-campus apartment, but she didn’t want to think about that either. Instead, she thought about living with Quinn. It would be awesome.

Of course, when they got to their new apartment, they had a lot of work to do. There were plenty of other college students moving in. They waved and chatted a bit, but mostly focused on the task of getting their place together. Artie worked the outside, carrying their things up to the apartment. Quinn had the inside, opening boxes and bags, taking out their stuff.

Artie was done first. As she made her way to the apartment, she took in the area. It reminded her of condos that she’d see around Leetown, the town their university was located. The building was five stories high and there were six buildings in the complex. She walked to the solid metal door and slid her key in. She would have liked better security. Definitely something beyond a locked door and the two cameras, one inside and one. 

“It would probably be impractical to put a guard at every door, though,” she figured.

She just hoped those camera feeds didn’t go to some guy sitting on his ass and scratching himself. Walking up the few stairs, she made it to their door on the third floor. Turning the key, she felt a bit of a rush.  _Our first apartment_. It was a silly thought, but still made her thrilled. 

“Okay, babe, I’m reporting for duty,” Artie remarked, stepping inside. Slipping off her shoes, she stepped into carpeted the living room. It was already furnished with the basics of a couch, coffee table, and the crappest TV stand she had ever seen. 

“Then start putting away your teddy bears,” Quinn replied, her voice seemed to be coming from the kitchen.

Artie scratched her head. “Where? On the floor?” She couldn’t keep them on the bed anymore and she used to just dump them on the floor in her dorm when Quinn stayed over. Now, they lived together. Where did that leave her poor teddy bears? 

Quinn came out of the kitchen, having to go through their empty dining room. “No, these are your most precious possessions and favorite toys.”

Artie chuckled. “That’s sweet, but they’re far from my favorite toys.” 

Quinn laughed and smirked. “Okay. I should’ve seen that coming.”

“Yes, you should have.”

The bears ended up getting a corner in their bedroom, which had a full-sized bed and a single dresser. The room was bigger than a dorm, so it worked. Quinn suggested some bins to keep their things in if they needed more storage space. Artie had a couple anyway. 

“This looks nice,” Artie said, hugging Quinn from behind. They put sheets and a blanket on the bed. She kissed Quinn’s neck and felt Quinn shudder.

“We need to go out and get a cover for this mattress right now,” Quinn said, stepping away from Artie. 

Artie blinked, having mood whiplash. “A what?”

Holding up her hands, Quinn shook her head. “A mattress cover. I don’t trust this mattress. Who knows what the last person did to it. We should make a quick list of everything we need and go get them now.” 

Artie half-smirked with the hope that she looked sexy enough to jump on. “I was hoping we could play a little with my favorite toys.”

Quinn shook her head again. “Not without a mattress cover, sweetheart.” 

Artie pouted. “My dorm bed didn’t have a mattress cover and we did all kinds of things on that.”

Quinn scoffed. “Oh, yes, it did. I put on it. So, let’s go.” 

Artie pouted, but it had no effect on Quinn. It looked like they were going shopping. Hopefully, they’d get to celebrate soon. But, until, Artie figured she’d have to dust off her “yes, dear” face. It had been years, but Quinn was worth it.

“Hey, you coming?” Quinn asked, holding the door open.

Artie held back from saying the obvious “you could be.” Instead, she replied, “Yeah, let’s go.” Besides, Quinn would regret this soon anyway. She knew how Artie was with shopping, after all. 

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: the couple have their best friends over.


	31. Get Together

31: Get Together

Quinn and Artie decided to have their friends over before school overwhelmed them. They ordered some pizza, despite the fact that Artie and Vega complained of how long they’d be at the gym working it off. Of course, they would also be the ones to eat the most pizza, but apparently that didn’t matter. They pulled out some movies to watch on the small television the couple purchased. Morgan arrived first.

“Hey, this place is cool,” Morgan declared with a smile as she hugged Quinn.

“Thanks. We still need to fix it up some. Maybe hang some pictures or something,” Quinn replied. They needed to put something on the walls. She already planned to get a framed poster of Artie’s favorite football team, but they needed more than one thing. Maybe some pictures of them and their friends, like Yvonne had done for her and Vega’s room.

“It’s cute, though,” Morgan insisted and went in for a hug with Artie. Russet eyes went wide; Artie wasn’t expecting the embrace.

Artie hugged Morgan back, but it was a quick exchange. Before Artie said anything, Vega and Yvonne stepped through the door. Yvonne hugged Artie, who looked much more comfortable with that, and then hugged Quinn.

“Yvonne, Vega, please, meet my best friend Morgan,” Quinn introduced the trio.

“Nice to meet you,” Yvonne said, leaning in for a handshake.

“Same here,” Morgan replied, shaking Yvonne’s hand and then turning to Vega. Vega frowned. Morgan grinned, opening her arms wide. “It’s either a handshake or a hug, slugger.”

“You hug me and I’ll slug you,” Vega declared, earning herself a pinch from Yvonne.

Morgan only smirked. “Sure, but after that Artie’s gonna beat you bloody.”

“She’s right about that, Vega. We all know I’m not going to just stand around while you hit a girl,” Artie pointed out.

“Not that she’s going to hit a girl, anyway,” Yvonne commented with a stern look.

Vega made a sour face and Morgan giggled as they shook hands. Quinn smiled. She doubted Vega would take to Morgan on the first meeting. In fact, she doubted Vega would ever take to Morgan without lots of threats from Yvonne, but Yvonne and Morgan would probably be fast friends.

“So, what are we watching today?” Yvonne inquired with a grin, stepping out of her shoes to go further into the living room.

“Probably crap,” Vega remarked as she followed behind her girlfriend.

“Why are you so sour today?” Artie inquired.

“You know how Vega gets when she meets new people. She has to pretend to be the angry badass.” Yvonne looped her arm around Vega’s. Vega turned her nose up, as if she were offended.

“All right, we’ve got pizza, soda, and chips, so let’s get to this movie,” Artie declared, clapping her hands together.

They all settled in the living room and Yvonne banished Artie and Vega to the floor. “Let us ladies have first sit on the couch,” Yvonne said.

“Why don’t I count as a lady?” Vega huffed, folding her arms across her chest. The move showed off the cuts of muscle in her arms since she had on a t-shirt.

“From now on this is how we will define ladies: a woman who is unable to carry her significant other bridal style,” Yvonne stated.

“Sounds like a solid definition to me,” Quinn agreed because Artie didn’t care to be considered a lady anyway.

Morgan chuckled. “I sense a flaw in the scheme. What if one of the designated ladies doesn’t have a significant other?”

“Yeah, what then?” Vega jumped in.

“Quite simple. She will be judged by past significant others,” Yvonne decreed.

Morgan nodded and put a finger to her chin. “Yeah, I don’t think I’ve ever been able to do that.”

“And it’s settled.” Yvonne nodded. “And bad puppies would do well to remember that.” She playfully tapped Vega on the nose.

Vega sneered, but she didn’t say anything. Artie tried to take her mind off of things by punching her in the arm. Of course, that just made Vega more upset, but she didn’t verbally complain. She made a face at Artie, who simply made a face back.

“Artie,” Yvonne said to keep things from devolving further.

Artie pointed to Vega. “She started it.”

“You started it by being born,” Vega huffed.

Morgan giggled and Quinn shook her head. Artie started the first movie and things calmed down. They laughed together and made conversation while eating pizza and passing around a couple of bowls of chips. Yeah, Artie and Vega got into it a little, but it was mostly their usual playful fighting.

“They certainly are lively,” Morgan commented as Vega managed to get Artie into a headlock.

Yvonne sighed dramatically. “I swear, sometimes it like being around two teenaged boys.”

Quinn decided to try her hand in disciplining the two, just to see if she had sway like Yvonne. “Hey, cut it out down there. Some of us are actually trying to pay attention to the movie.”

Artie stopped struggling, but Vega didn’t let her go. Yvonne stepped in, just giving Vega a look and that was the end of things. They all went back to watching the movie. 

-8-8-8-8-

“That went really well,” Quinn commented as she snuggled against Artie’s side. They lay in the bed, which really wasn’t big enough for both of them or long enough for Artie, but it was the same size Artie had at home, so they were used to it.

“Yeah, I knew Morgan and Yvonne would hit it off,” Artie replied, wrapping her arm around Quinn’s shoulders. Movie night had been a huge hit among the aforementioned pair. Morgan and Yvonne seemed like old friends by the end of the night.

Quinn settled her head against Artie’s shoulder. “Does Vega really just hate any new people around her?”

“Vega’s not as bad as she pretends to be. She just likes to keep people at arm’s length until she knows she can trust them.”

“Why?”

Artie scratched the bridge of her nose. “I dunno. That’s just how she is. I’m guessing it has to do with the fact that it’s been just her and her father.”

“Well, you were there, too.”

Artie shrugged. “I guess, but me and Vega always clicked on a weird level. I think we just both needed someone our ages that understood we weren’t like the average kids. I mean, I told you, Vega always took my word on it that I was a boy. She never contradicted me. She figured out that she was a lesbian pretty early and I just accepted it. We just take each other, support each other, and tell each other the truth. We’re the person that gives the other a kick in the ass when necessary, but a shoulder to cry on, too. Not that we cry.”

Quinn chuckled a little. “Because you’re too macho to cry?” 

“Yeah, we don’t cry.”

Quinn laughed more and decided to leave Artie her delusion. “So, will she be up for another night with Morgan? I liked being able to host a little get-together with our friends, so I want to do it again.” 

Artie nodded. “Tega will get her to do pretty much anything. She’ll whine and groan the whole time, but if she really hated it, she’d make it known.”

“How?”

“Believe it or not, Vega let’s her displeasure be known by using the silent treatment. So, when she stops talking and complaining is really when we have a problem.” 

“Oh, okay.” Quinn nodded. She had yet to see a moment where Vega stopped grumbling about something, so that was good. “So, would you be all right with us doing this more often?”

Artie chuckled. “It’s better than listening to Vega bitch about having to drag a television to my dorm.”

Quinn laughed and snuggled up closer to Artie. She liked these quiet moments and looked forward to having them for the rest of the semester and beyond. Of course, eventually, they’d have to get their own place because they’d never get a quiet moment like this in Artie’s house. 

“Hey, Artie, do you think, one day in the future we’ll be inviting them to hang out in our house?” Quinn asked.

“I hope so. I certainly hope so.” She leaned down and gave Quinn a soft kiss.

-8-8-8-8- 

Next time: the couple runs into a small bump while living together.


	32. In Deep

32: In Deep

Quinn enjoyed living with Artie so far. She expected the messiness that came with Artie, but Artie was trying. If Artie left plates around, she picked them up when she did the dishes. She had trouble with hitting the hamper, but she did her best to put her dirty clothing near the hamper. Energy bar wrappers, empty gummi bear bags, and such continued to litter their little apartment, no matter how much Quinn begged Artie to just throw them away as soon as she finished her snack. Some battles just weren’t winnable, she guessed. 

Today, Quinn ran into something she didn’t consider when living with Artie. Putting her key in their door, she entered and heard voices. One voice was Artie’s, but the other was a female voice she didn’t know. Curious, she rushed out of her shoes and into the living room to see Artie sitting with a girl, a petite blond, whose back was turned to Quinn. There were books on the coffee table and Artie pointed in a book in her hand. Artie was tutoring.

Quinn should have felt relief. She wasn’t sure what she expected to find, but it was nice to see this was an innocent thing. But, she was still bothered by the sight.

“Oh, hey, babe,” Artie greeted her and smiled as soon as she noticed her. The girl that she was tutoring turned as well.

The girl waved and offered a small, friendly smile. “Hi.”

“Julia, this is my girlfriend Quinn. Quinn, this is Julia.” Artie motioned between the two of them. “We’re almost done.”

Quinn nodded. “Nice to meet you, Julia.”

“Same here,” Julia replied before turning her attention back to Artie and her book.

Quinn decided to make herself scarce in the bedroom while Artie finished up with her client. She didn’t think Artie would tutor people in their home, but apparently she was wrong. How many people would be in and out of their home? She wasn’t very comfortable with the idea that Artie would be alone with clients either. She trusted Artie, but others not so much.

“Maybe it won’t be that many people,” Quinn told herself as she sat down on the bed. She hoped it wouldn’t be that many people. “No, I take that back. This is how Artie makes money. She needs a lot of clients.”

If Artie didn’t have a lot of tutoring clients, then she’d be left to write a bunch of papers and that didn’t sit well with Quinn as it was. Sighing, Quinn rubbed her face with one hand. She didn’t want to tell Artie to take her clients somewhere else because this was Artie’s apartment, too. She didn’t want to fight over rules.

She tried to put it out of her mind when she heard the door shut, figuring Julia left. Artie found her way to the bedroom and sat next to Quinn, wrapping her arm around Quinn’s waist. Quinn leaned against Artie, sighing at the contact.

“How were your classes?” Artie asked and then leaned down to kiss Quinn’s forehead.

Quinn smiled and tried to move closer. “Fine. I’m so glad I only have to focus on stuff in my majors now. Core classes were the bane of my existence.”

Artie laughed. “They’re the bane of most people’s existence. That’s where all of my tutoring business comes. Most people don’t expect to have to take these courses again when they get to college. I find so many people that go ‘I thought I’d never have to see math again after high school.’ How wrong they are.”

Quinn smiled and nodded. “So, have you picked up a lot of clients so far?”

“Just a couple of new ones, so far. It usually takes a couple of weeks for people to start looking for me. But, I do have some past clients. I’m doing all right. Hopefully, I’ll do better.”

Quinn nodded again. She didn’t want to say anything to discourage Artie from her tutoring job. So, she didn’t say anything about Artie being in the house alone with girls or tutoring strangers in their home. But, it stuck in her craw. 

-8-8-8-8-

Another day, another new girl in her home, sitting on her sofa with her girlfriend when she came home. Quinn wasn’t sure if she could continue to suffer in silence. Especially since this girl was giggling and touching Artie, leaning against her with her hand on her arm. A little bit closer and the girl would be rubbing her breasts on Artie, which were barely concealed in her flimsy sundress. The girl didn’t even have the decency to move away when Quinn came into view.

“Hey, Princess,” Artie smiled, clearly oblivious that she was in semi-compromising position. It was a little funny that Artie didn’t seem to notice flirting much anymore considering she used to be a player, but it went by her now. She probably purposely ignored it.

“Hey, sweetheart,” Quinn replied, glaring at the student.

“This is Maria,” Artie introduced her student to Quinn. “Maria, that’s my girlfriend Quinn.”

Maria smirked and waved. Quinn rolled her eyes, resolved to speak to Artie now. There was no way she’d stay silent if Artie was going to have smug bitches in their apartment. No one was going to sit there and look at her while cuddling up on her girlfriend.

“Can we talk to for a second?” Quinn requested.

Artie gave her a sad smile. “I just started with Maria, so it’ll be an hour.”

Quinn nodded. “Okay, I’m going to go out.” Maybe she could figure out exactly what to say to Artie without it sounding like a lecture or a reprimand.

She turned around and left. She walked to Morgan’s dorm room. Morgan practically dived out of the room to hang with her.

“Why the hell are you so eager to leave?” Quinn asked.

Morgan sighed and shook her head. “New roommate, Caitlin. She’s on the phone with her boyfriend. I like her, except for when she’s on the phone with him. They’re the very definition of a dysfunctional couple. All they do is scream at each other.”

“How often do you have to put up with that?” Quinn inquired as they walked down the hall with no destination in mind.

“Every few days. They don’t stay on the phone long. They scream for about a half-hour, hang up, and then one of them has to go see the other, so they can scream at each other in person for a few hours. Caitlin claims they have awesome makeup sex.”

Quinn scoffed. “I don’t care how great the makeup sex is. I’d never want to argue with Artie every few days.”

A light chuckle escaped Morgan. “I think your relationship is much healthier than theirs.”

“I should hope so, but I’ve been avoiding a discussion with Artie because I think it might turn into an argument or I might discourage Artie. That’s almost as bad, huh?” Quinn glanced at her friend as they exited the dorm building and headed in the direction of the student union. Cold air rushed against them and for a moment they both shivered. Quickly their bodies adjusted to the outside temperature.

Morgan put a finger to her chin. “I’m not sure avoiding an argument is as bad as purposely having one. What’s Artie doing that’s bothering you?”

Quinn waved it off. “She has her tutoring clients at the apartment.”

Morgan arched an eyebrow. “And?”

“Well, that’s actually part of what’s bothering me. She’s got strangers coming to our home. Am I overreacting?” Quinn grabbed the handle to open the door to the student union. They stepped inside, casually glancing around.

“Well, no. I mean, you should be comfortable in your home and if you’re not comfortable with all of these people coming and going in your home then you should tell her. I mean, it’s not like Artie’s going to get pissed,” Morgan pointed out as they settled on an open bench by a window.

“This is true, but I don’t want it to seem like I’m bitching about her work. I want her to get as many clients as she can, so I don’t want it to seem like I discouraging her from having clients.”

Morgan scratched her head. “Where did she take clients when you basically lived in her dorm last semester? Did she bring them to the room and you just accept that because it was her room?”

Quinn shook her head. “I think she took them to the library. It was rare for me to come into the room and find her with a client, but I think it’s because we have different schedules. I’m not entirely sure.”

“Well, you should still tell her. You shouldn’t be uncomfortable in your own home, especially when she has gone elsewhere before. Just tell her. God, it’s so simple.” Morgan stuck her tongue out at Quinn.

Quinn laughed and gently shoved the blond. “I know, I know. I just didn’t want to seem like I was coming down on her.”

“I don’t think it sounds like you’re coming down on her. I think it’s more like you guys have to learn how to share your space. This is your space together. It’s not like when it was her dorm and you were just there all the time. This is your apartment with her.” Morgan patted her leg, as if to help drive home her point.

“This is true. So, it doesn’t sound like I’m being a nag? I don’t want to nag her.”

“Nah. I think this is something you two really do need to talk about. You have to learn to share your space and clamming up about what’s bothering you isn’t going to help. You definitely don’t want to make that a habit either. It’ll just hurt your relationship in the long run.”

Quinn nodded. “You’re right. I think I just needed to talk it out.”

“Yeah, happens to the best of us. Wanna get some food since we’re here?” Morgan proposed, pointing her thumb over at the small food court in the building. They’d have a better selection at the cafeteria, but they were here now. “Or is there something else you need to talk out?”

“Not really. It’s just when I went home today, I walked in on a tutoring session and the girl was practically humping Artie’s leg.”

Morgan frowned. “She’s not still—”

Quinn jumped in. “No, no, no. I don’t think Artie’s fucking around on me. Hell, sometimes I don’t think she even notices girls anymore. I just think that some of her clients don’t get that she’s off the market and they flirt with her. This one did it right in front of me and I wanted to punch her, but again, I don’t want to cost Artie clients.”

“Hmm… that one is tougher to tackle. I mean, you don’t want her to piss off clients or she could lose them, but you don’t want her clients crossing boundaries like that. Talk to her and get her take on what’s going on. I’m sure you can come up with something together.”

Quinn nodded. She hoped they could. She and Morgan decided to go get some dinner. She walked Morgan back to her room and the coast was clear apparently. They hugged farewell and Quinn returned home.

Artie was alone, but picking up her books from the coffee table. Quinn went to her and kissed her without saying anything. Artie grinned and stopped her actions immediately. Turning to Quinn, she wrapped her arms around Quinn and kissed her with more passion.

“I brought dinner,” Quinn informed her lover.

“Yay. I’m so hungry.” Right on time and to drive home the point, Artie’s stomach rumbled. They both laughed.

“When was the last time you ate?”

Artie scratched her head. “Like noon or something. I had a tofu hot dog.”

“Only one?” Quinn knew that something like that couldn’t hold Artie for more than an hour, if that long.

“Yeah, just one. I had to meet up with a professor to keep on planning my experiment.”

Quinn sighed. “You better not keep this up or you’re going to pass out in the science building one of these days. Would it have been so hard to have two?”

“I didn’t have the free hand.”

Quinn chuckled and shook her head. She went to get plates, so they could eat dinner. They ate at the coffee table because they didn’t have a dining room table. Money was tight. They used placemats and coasters to make sure they didn’t mark up the coffee table, even though it wasn’t theirs and not in the best shape in the first place. It was nice to seem a little civilized, though.

“This looks good. What is it?” Artie asked as she picked up her plate.

“Lamb and rice. No matter what I’m never eating quinoa with you.”

Artie laughed. “It’s good, though. You should give it another chance.”

Quinn shook her head. “It’s not happening again, partner. Fool me once, shame on you.”

Artie smiled and leaned over, kissing Quinn on the cheek. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” Quinn mixed her lamb, rice, and vegetables for a moment. “I want to talk to about something.”

Artie glanced at her and swallowed down the food she was chewing. “What?”

“Um… your tutoring clients coming to the apartment.”

“What about them?” Artie asked before shoving more food in her mouth. She really needed to eat more during the day.

“Can you… can you not tutor here, please?” Quinn requested, eyes locked on her food, which she continued mixing.

Artie blinked and swallowed. “Why not?”

Quinn squirmed in her seat. “It’s just… I’m not comfortable with a bunch of strangers in our place. I mean, I know it’s easy for you and I know it’s quiet and I know this is how you do things.” She shook her head, feeling like she was rambling.

“Hey.” Artie put her food down and pulled Quinn against her. “It’s not a big deal. This is your home as much as mine and if you don’t feel comfortable with people in here, then there won’t be people in here. I’m sorry I did this without asking you. I was more considerate before when we were just in my dorm.”

Quinn looked at Artie. “It’s not that you’re being inconsiderate.”

“Oh, no, it is. I bring my tutoring students here because I want to be home. I like our home and I want to be here, but I didn’t think about how you’d take it with people in and out of the place. When we were in my dorm, I wanted you to be comfortable and to stay there, so I took people to the library. I didn’t even think about that here.”

“So, you don’t mind?”

“No, I don’t. I should’ve done that in the beginning. I want you to be comfortable in our home a hell of a lot more than I want to bring people here for studying. I’ll go to the library from now on. But, you should know, I’m going to be out late a lot then if I get my usual number of clients.”

Quinn frowned. She didn’t think about that. She didn’t want to spend most of her time in an empty apartment because Artie was in the library tutoring people. Artie gave her a little squeeze.

“Hey, we’ll figure something out. It’s not like you’ll never see me,” Artie pointed out.

“You get up before I do and then you’ll be coming in hours after me. You’re going to have tons of work with your experiment and internship. It’s just…” Quinn shook her head.

Artie kissed the side of her head. “Princess, I promise, we’ll see each other. There’ll be time. I want to be with you and I _will_ make time. If you don’t think I’m making enough time, you need to tell me. I’ve got plans for us and they don’t involve us drifting apart.”

Quinn arched an eyebrow. “You have plans for us?”

“Oh, yeah. And for those plans to become a reality, we need to make it through this semester.” Artie chuckled.

Quinn laughed, too. Sometimes, she forgot how much of an adult Artie was. Artie was mature beyond her years. She had sat down and came up with a budget for them. She was the one that volunteered to pay the bills. She was the one that helped raise five children. Quinn felt like she had to catch up to Artie because she hadn’t even considered having plans for them.

“I don’t usually think about the future. Not far into the future anyway,” Quinn confessed.

Smiling, Artie caressed her shoulder. “It’s all right. Want me to tell you my plans?”

Quinn shook her head. “Not until I have some of my own.”

Artie chuckled and they went back to eating their dinner. Artie was so understanding. Artie had plans for them as a couple. Quinn knew she had to tell Artie the other thing that bothered her. 

“So… Maria,” Quinn said.

“What about her?” 

Quinn gave her girlfriend a bland look. “She was all over you and you know it.”

Artie blew a raspberry. “She could be all over me all she wants, but I don’t want her. I’ve told her to not touch me, but she doesn’t listen. She can try to seduce me, but it won’t work.” 

“This sounds like this could turn into a problem, like last year when you were tutoring Misty.”

Artie frowned. “Yeah, I don’t want it to get that bad. Okay, I’ll make sure I talk to her and I’ll definitely tutor everyone in a part of the library with the most people. I want you to know, though, you don’t have to worry. I don’t want any of those girls or any other girls for that matter. I want you. I love you and I’m definitely a one-woman woman now.” 

Quinn smiled. “That makes two of us. I love you, too.”

Artie laughed. “We’re so sappy.”

Quinn nodded and to make them even sappier, she fed Artie some of her food. Artie fell right into line and did the same. The night was calm. 

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: the couple’s first Valentine’s Day.


	33. Happy Valentines

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains sexual relations between two women (at the end), so if that’s not your thing, stop reading once the couple makes it to their bedroom.

33: Happy Valentines 

Artie felt like a few weeks into school and she had already almost messed things up with Quinn. Not just with the tutoring clients coming to the house, but also because she still hadn’t gotten her messy behavior under control. In fact, she realized she put crumbles on the sofa while she had these thoughts running through her head. Sighing, she shook her head and tried to clean it up.

“I’m just as bad as the girls,” Artie muttered, brushing crumbs into her hand from the cushions.

She needed Quinn to understand that she appreciated her, even if she made bonehead moves. Plus, it was almost Valentine’s Day, so she needed to do something anyway. She was tempted to call her grandfather for ideas, but she’d rather come up with something herself. She needed to stand on her own two feet eventually with dating ideas and romantic ideas. 

In the end, she opened her laptop and did some research while she had the time. She saved up money for the day and hoped she saved up enough to make things special. Before she even did a search, she knew exactly what she wanted to do.

“Quinn’ll love this,” Artie declared. Hell, she’d love it, too.

-8-8-8-8- 

Artie decided to forgo the gym on Valentine’s Day. She had better things to do with her time, which started with cuddling a sleeping Quinn. Quinn must’ve sensed she was there beyond her usual time because she stirred.

“Not going to work out?” Quinn asked in a mumble, her eyes still closed. She put her arm around Artie’s chest and pulled her closer. 

“I can miss a day.” Artie rubbed Quinn’s shoulder. She made time to go to the gym more often in the morning, wanting to maintain her body without turning to her usual extremes. She just felt good about herself when she got a workout in and she wanted to keep herself in a good place.

Quinn made a noise, but didn’t say anything. Her breathing evened out and Artie knew her lover was asleep again. Artie enjoyed Quinn pressed against her and calmly stroked Quinn’s shoulder until she had to get up. There was a Valentine’s Day to start, after all.

Sliding out of bed and earning a whine from Quinn, Artie looked down to make sure Quinn remained asleep. Once she was sure that she hadn’t woken Quinn up, she rushed into their kitchen. It was the least used room in the apartment, but it more had to do with busy schedules than with the lack of desire to use it. Artie had gone out yesterday to make sure she had the supplies she needed to start the day. She hid the pancake mix behind some cereal that only she ate; Quinn swore it tasted like tree branches. 

She wasn’t that practiced in making pancakes, but she knew enough to feel comfortable as she worked. Sure, the shapes were a little off, but they were a nice golden brown and she tasted one to find it tasted like a flapjack should. Smiling proudly, she made two plates of pancakes. Then she set about making some scrambled eggs, which were the only types of eggs she could make.

“Hmm… is this pathetic? Should I learn to make more stuff?” Artie wondered.

She didn’t have an answer for herself. She’d wait and see. While Quinn didn’t know how to cook many things, there was always the chance that she’d want to learn more. Quinn might want to be the main chef out of the two of them. Quinn was the one that wanted to help her mother cook, after all. Besides, Quinn tended to make foods they both ate while Artie usually made something only she would eat if she cooked. 

With breakfast on the plates, Artie moved to get a card table that she borrowed from a friend. Throwing a crimson plastic tablecloth over that, she put a single rose in the center of the table. She put orange juice into champagne flutes and placed them down with the breakfast. She put syrup on the pancakes, hoping she got the amount right for Quinn. Lastly, she pulled two black folding chairs out and put them with the table.

“That looks pretty good on short notice and a short budget,” Artie said.

“What looks good?” Quinn asked, coming up behind Artie. 

Artie turned around, wanting to see Quinn her “pajamas.” The sight of Quinn in one of her t-shirts would never get old. She snatched Quinn up into a hug and wasted no time kissing her breathless. Quinn melted into her and they had to pull apart for air. Damn air.

“Happy Valentine’s Day,” Artie muttered, nuzzling Quinn’s hair. She inhaled Quinn’s scent, loving it. 

“Happy Valentine’s Day to you, too. I’ve been looking forward to this,” Quinn admitted, fingers drawing circles on Artie’s back.

“Well, I hope it starts off right. I made breakfast.” Artie turned Quinn to the table.

Quinn gasped. “Oh, my god, baby.” 

“I know it’s not fit for royalty, but I hope you like it, Princess.”

Quinn nodded. “Oh, god, I should get dressed for this.” 

“No, no, no. You’re fine just the way you are. I like you in my stuff.” Artie ran her hands down Quinn’s abdomen.

Quinn smiled and gave Artie a kiss before allowing Artie to pull her chair out. Artie sat across from her and they cut into their pancakes. Artie waited for Quinn to take the first bite.

“How do they taste?” Artie asked eagerly, grinning from ear to ear.

“Delicious. Try some.” Quinn speared a bit and leaned across the table for Artie to try. The pieces were covered in more syrup than Artie usually liked, but she ate them anyway, purposely making a show of it, sliding the pancakes off the fork slowly and allowing some syrup to slide down the corner of her mouth. 

“They’re not bad,” Artie commented while Quinn focused on her mouth.

“Thank you for breakfast, but don’t do that anymore. You have class in less than thirty minutes and you know you’ll work yourself up.”

Artie nodded because that was quite true. In fact, she didn’t get a chance to linger for breakfast like she wanted to. She wished her classes weren’t so early in the morning just this once. She was happy when Quinn sent her off with a deep kiss, promising more of then same later. Artie groaned as Quinn pulled away. 

“I’m going to be thinking about that all day,” Artie complained. She felt that kiss all the way to her toes, but it settled elsewhere.

Smirking, Quinn shook her head. “No, you won’t.” 

“Uh, yes, I will,” Artie insisted.

“No, you’ll be thinking about this.” Quinn took Artie’s hand and placed it inside her shirt. Quinn was completely bare underneath, except for her panties. Artie groaned as her hand trailed over soft flesh that she knew needed her complete attention. 

“You’re evil,” Artie whimpered as she tried to cup a heavy breast.

“Very. Now, off with you,” Quinn replied, stepping away from Artie.

Artie was tempted to just say to hell with class, throw her stuff down, and ravish Quinn against the wall, but that didn’t sound very romantic. She decided to go to class if only to regroup. Besides, she had things to pick up afterward. 

-8-8-8-8-

“Princess?” Artie called as she stepped into the apartment holding a dozen roses as well as a heart-shaped box of chocolates. 

“Yes, sweetheart?” Quinn replied, her voice coming from the bedroom.

“I’m home.” Artie sniffed the air and noted the delicious aroma hanging around. She wondered if Quinn cooked.

Slipping off her shoes, she walked through the living room to the dining room and peered into the kitchen to see pots on the stove. A jolt shot through her.  _I felt a surge just because she cooked for me? Am I that easy?_ Her stomach answered with a rumble.

“I’ve been waiting for you,” Quinn said as she emerged from the bedroom. 

Artie turned around and pretty much swallowed her tongue. Quinn wore a strapless lilac gown with matching makeup that gave her a smoky eye look. Her hair was done in waves and hid her face partially. She wore white sandals, even though they had agreed not to wear shoes in the apartment. Of course, Artie didn’t care about the rules now.

“Damn,” Artie muttered. 

“Just the reaction I was going for,” Quinn smirked as she sauntered up to Artie, her hips swaying and hypnotizing Artie like a siren. She gave Artie a soft, but brief kiss on the lips. “The flowers for me?”

“Of course. Flowers for a princess.” Artie presented Quinn with the bouquet, bowing a little as she did so. 

Quinn smiled as she accepted. “So sweet.” She sniffed and glanced down at crystal housing them. “Oh, they smell perfect and you have them in a vase already.”

“I wanted to give them a chance to look pretty for a few days.”

Quinn chuckled and put the flowers on the coffee table. Artie thought the roses looked out of place with the books and laptops on the table, but it was fine. She then gave Quinn the chocolates.

“We’ll save these for later. For now, you can go clean up. I’ll have dinner on the… table. Where did you get this thing, anyway?” Quinn asked, nodding toward the table. 

“I borrowed it from a friend. He plays a lot of cards. I have to give it back to him in a couple of days or he will literally hunt me down for it,” Artie explained.

Quinn chuckled. “Okay.”

Artie took her leave. She showered and searched her clothes for something that was worthy of being next to Quinn. Nothing was worthwhile.

“Shit, I need new gear.” Artie sighed. Things that were up-to-date maybe. She pulled out a suit she had. It was vintage, like most of her things, but she was certain Quinn wouldn’t mind. 

Putting on her suit, she added a blue tie to it and stepped back into the living room. Quinn had turned off most of the lights, but she saw two glowing candles in the dining room. Quinn stood in front of the table, waiting for her.

“You look dashing, sweetheart,” Quinn said with a smile. 

Artie fiddled with her tie. “I tried.”

“I did the same with dinner. I hope you didn’t have plans to go out.” 

Artie shook her head. “I wanted you to myself for our first Valentine’s Day.”

“I felt the same.”

They both smiled and sat down for a quiet dinner. Quinn made lasagna. She baked vegetables into it because Artie always insisted on a vegetable with dinner, unless they had junk food. It tasted good. 

“You’re a pasta whiz, huh?” Artie asked.

Quinn chuckled a little. “I’m good with pasta. I’m going to start practicing on other things. I want to be able to make you more home-cooked meals.” 

Artie smiled. “You don’t have to do it for me. I can kinda cook.”

Quinn laughed. “Yeah, but I’m with your sisters in the sense that I don’t want to eat soy and tofu all the time.” 

“Hey, I can make a number of salads and vegetables dishes you wouldn’t believe. I can also make some stuff with ground turkey.”

Quinn groaned and put her hand to her forehead, shaking her head. “Please, just stop.”

Artie laughed, but spared Quinn any more of her cooking prowess. While she could make more than Quinn, no one ever wanted to eat it, except for Vega anyway. It didn’t help that Artie didn’t eat as healthy as she knew she should.

“A toast?” Artie proposed, picking up her flute of wine. She wondered how Quinn managed to get a bottle of wine for them, but decided it wasn’t important. 

“To us,” Quinn said.

“And many more Valentines.” 

Quinn nodded and they drank. They spoke about school and work while they ate. When they were done with dinner, Artie went to the refrigerator, where she had hidden her last gift of the day. She had picked it up early in the day when she knew Quinn wouldn’t be home because of class.

“What are you doing over there?” Quinn asked, still sitting at their “dinner table.”

“Last surprise,” Artie said as she walked over and showed Quinn the box. She opened it and presented Quinn with a heart-shaped cookie cake that read “Happy First of Many Valentines.” It was written in red frosting with pink and white hearts decorating the edges of the cookie. 

“Is this a cookie cake?” Quinn asked with a lopsided grin.

“I figure a girl that eats a box of cookies when she doesn’t think I’m looking or when she’s stressed out would prefer a cookie to a cake,” Artie explained. 

“So, it’s a giant cookie?”

“It’s a thick cookie full of big chocolate chips.” 

Quinn groaned and closed her eyes. “Oh, god.”

Artie laughed. “I hope you react that way to me one day.” 

Quinn chuckled and smiled. Artie let Quinn cut the cookie and shared some of it with her, even though she wasn’t a big cookie eater. They finished the big slice in a few minutes and sat in silence for a while. Quinn got up, moving to the next phase of the night. She went into the living room and turned the iPod on. She took Artie by the hand. They left the dishes on the table for the moment.

“Dance with me,” Quinn requested softly, putting her hand out. 

“Of course, sweet lady,” Artie replied, taking Quinn’s hand and pulling her close.

They swayed in the living room to the soft, slow music. Artie wasn’t sure how long it lasted. She just enjoyed Quinn’s body pressed against hers. Resting her cheek on top of Quinn’s head, she smiled to herself as Quinn settled her head against Artie’s shoulder.

“Have you thought about plans for us?” Artie whispered. She wanted Quinn to see a future for them, just as she had, so she knew there were more moments like this ahead. 

“I have.”

“Care to share?” 

Quinn was silent for a long moment. “A few days ago, I had a dream. In the dream, we lived in a big house. We were older, maybe in our thirties. You had your hair cut much shorter and you were sitting on the couch, screaming at the TV with Vega and a man I felt was Morgan’s husband. You guys were having a good time. And then, I came in and sat on your lap and you held me against you while continuing to root for your team. You pressed me so close and I just felt so loved.”

Artie smiled. “Sounds nice.” 

“Very. I wrote it down in my journal immediately when I woke up. I want to build on that. I want us to have a home together and have friends over. I want to be able to experience your joy with you, even when it’s just your team winning.”

Artie smiled even more. “Nice thing to build on. Anything else in the dream that you remember?” 

“I wrote down more details, but I don’t remember them right now.”

“It’s not important.” It was wonderful to know that Quinn saw a future for them. 

They locked eyes and Artie leaned down for a kiss. Quinn returned the affection and instead of lighting a fire in Artie, the kiss caused something to bloom inside of her. There was a new hope, new life, and deeper emotions inside of her now. Quinn wanted a future with her. Quinn was her future.

“Shall we retire?” Quinn proposed in a whisper. 

“I’d like that a lot.”

Quinn smirked and led Artie by the hand to their bedroom. Artie wasn’t sure when they started kissing, but they did before they hit the room and then Artie felt herself being pushed down onto the bed. Quinn’s mouth never left hers and her hands never left Quinn. She felt Quinn plucking at her buttons and she quickly struggled out of her jacket and shirt. She hadn’t bothered to put on a tank top underneath. Quinn undid the button her pants and pulled those down, breaking their kiss. Artie whined at the loss. 

“Move to the head of the bed,” Quinn told her.

Artie didn’t argue and did as ordered. Quinn smirked at her, making a show of slowly stripping off her dress. Artie decided to make herself naked before Quinn even let her dress drop. She tossed away the boxers she wore just as Quinn’s breasts were bare to her. She licked her lips in anticipation, desiring to have Quinn’s hardening nipples in her mouth. 

Instead of eagerly beckoning Quinn to her, Artie patiently watched the show. The dress fell to the floor and Artie’s jaw followed. Quinn had been utterly bare under her dress and Artie hadn’t noticed it when they were dancing. Artie decided not to fault herself because she had been relishing in the fact that Quinn saw a future with her.

“Did you do a strip tease for me in your dream?” Artie inquired. 

“Maybe I will eventually. For now, I’m happy to have done one for you in real life.” Quinn crawled onto the bed. She stalked up the bed like a big cat, causing Artie to groan.

“You are so sexy,” Artie whispered as Quinn hovered above her. 

Quinn smirked. “Funny, I thought that was my line.”

Artie didn’t respond. Quinn’s breasts had her attention and she filled her hands while Quinn leaned down for a kiss. They both groaned as Quinn ground down on her leg. Before one of her hands could find their way between Quinn’s creamy thighs, Quinn slipped a finger into her. Artie gasped and then purred. 

“You first, and then I want to ride you for the rest of the night,” Quinn said before giving her a soft kiss.

Artie groaned at the words. The image of Quinn on top of her, moving with purpose, assaulted her mind and dragged her so close to the edge that it only took Quinn a few strokes to send her over the edge. Pleasure shot through her as Quinn worked a single finger inside of her and caressed her clit. She anchored herself by clutching Quinn’s waist and might have bruised Quinn when her passion overflowed and she peaked. Closing her eyes for a moment, her breath came in pants. 

As she calmed down, Quinn leaned down and kissed her. Artie, not quite in her right mind, flicked Quinn’s lips with her tongue. Quinn giggled.

“Sorry,” Artie said when she realized what she had done. 

Quinn licked at Artie’s mouth. “Now, we’re even.”

Artie smiled, happy Quinn didn’t think she was weird for that. “You never cease to surprise me. You know I’m going to be doing that a lot now.” 

“I have no doubt and I look forward to it. Now, I do believe you owe me a ride.” Quinn smirked.

“With or without my…” Artie glanced away. She’d almost said “dick,” which she knew would bother Quinn. Quinn could barely call it a toy, let alone a more profane word. 

“Your choice.”

“Both!” Artie grinned and pulled Quinn down for a kiss. Her fingers crept to Quinn’s thigh and made their way upward.

Quinn gasped into Artie’s mouth as Artie entered her. Quinn moved her hips, riding Artie’s fingers like the devil was chasing her. Artie watched mesmerized by the way her lover moved, entranced in a way she never would’ve believed possible. Quinn enthralled her and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Quinn’s breathing sped up along with her hips, letting Artie know she was close. Helping her along, Artie played with and pinched her nipple with her free hand. Her thumb caressed Quinn’s slippery clit and Quinn shuddered above her. Quinn collapsed on top of her and she held her close, kissing the side of Quinn’s head.

“Give me a minute,” Quinn requested in a breath. 

“Take your time. I’ll be here.” She’d be there for as long as Quinn would have her. 

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Quinn misses Artie and meets a guy named Gino.


	34. Book Smarts

34: Book Smarts

Quinn liked her classes in this spring semester. She was ahead in her credits thanks to taking summer courses in her freshman year, forcing in a winter course, as well as a summer course last summer. Technically, she was a semester ahead of other juniors. She focused on only courses in her majors now, getting all of her Core subjects out of the way, thankfully. 

Her favorite class was her creative writing class. Creative writing would always be her first love. She wanted to be a journalist, but mostly for the experiences to help her write realistic fiction. Still, she liked her creative writing class, to the point where she only focused on what the professor said and what they were supposed to read. Usually, she’d make some friends in class, especially a small class like this, but she hadn’t paid much attention to the people around her. So, she was a bit surprised when a guy came up to her after class.

“Hey, I’ve noticed how every class you get into a deep conversation with the prof,” he said, a small smile playing on his lips. 

Quinn glanced up from her seat and nodded politely. “Yeah, well, every class, he says something interesting.” Her eyes went back to her desk and she closed her notebook.

She hoped the guy would move on, but briefly glancing up revealed he was still there. He smiled even more, showing off some perfect white teeth. His dark, wavy hair fell partially over his olive-toned face. Quinn packed up her things, wanting to get away from him as quickly as she could.

“I’m Gino,” he introduced himself, holding out his hand.

“Quinn,” she replied, leaning away from him, but he did not withdraw his hand. Sighing, she reached out and shook his hand, hoping that would get rid of him. She could just sense this wouldn’t go anywhere good. 

Gino chuckled and nodded. “I know. The prof calls you by name. I don’t think he knows anyone else’s name around here. Have you taken other classes with him?” 

“A couple.” Glancing at the clock, Quinn stood. “I have to go. My next class is in ten minutes.” She rushed out of the room, hoping he wouldn’t follow. She lucked out. 

-8-8-8-8-

Coming home to an empty apartment was something that Quinn should be used to, but never would be. Even on days when Artie didn’t have classes, she managed to load up on tutoring clients, so she spent most of the day at the library. She supposed that was better than Artie writing papers, but for all she knew, Artie still did that. Of course, Artie trusted her with her bank account information, so Quinn could see deposits for papers if that were the case. 

“I just miss Artie,” she murmured with a sigh as she flopped down on the sofa. This wasn’t a secret. Sometimes, she wished she just let Artie bring her tutoring clients home, so she’d at least see her girlfriend before six in the evening, but the thought of always coming home to some stranger in her home still didn’t appeal to her.

Some days, she hung out with Morgan or Yvonne, especially if Artie called and said she’d be late. Other days, she had her books and assignments for the school paper to keep her busy. Today, it would be the latter. 

Signing up to work on the school paper was something that Artie suggested. She thought it was because Artie felt she needed experience in journalism, which she did. There was also the fact that she had the time to do so, which Artie also pointed out, since she was ahead in her credits. But, now she thought the reason Artie pushed her to sign up for the paper was because Artie knew she’d be busy and Quinn needed things to occupy her time when she was home. Still, it worked out and Quinn liked it. She’d just prefer Artie home.

“She’ll be home soon. So, until then, I’ll finish up my little story for the paper and then get onto my schoolwork,” Quinn stated with a nod.

By the time Artie came in, Quinn was reading a book for her _Romance of the Middle Ages_ course. It was the first class she’d taken focused solely on romance, as the genre never really interested her. Artie leaned down and pressed a kiss to her cheek. She smiled. _Maybe it interests me a little now_. 

“Hey, Princess. I brought dinner.” Artie held up a black plastic bag.

“Oh, okay. I was just going to heat up the leftovers from yesterday,” Quinn replied, closing her book. 

Artie shook her head. “No, those are gone. I came in around one, starving, and ate pretty much anything that looked like food in the fridge.”

Quinn had to laugh at that. “I’m just happy you came home to eat and didn’t just have an energy bar or a bag of gummi bears.” 

Artie frowned. “I’m out of those.”

“Both?” 

“Yup.”

Quinn nodded. “Okay, just add it to the shopping list. I’ll get it done tomorrow.” 

Artie scratched her head, mussing her hair. “Isn’t it my week to do the shopping? Didn’t we do that, switch off every week?”

Quinn nodded. “Yes, we did, but you’re busy and I’m not tomorrow, so I can do it. It was my day to do dinner tonight and you brought home food, so consider us even.” They had never really worked out chores, just swapping each thing.

Artie smiled and nodded, sealing the deal with a kiss to the side of Quinn’s head. Quinn smiled, too, and gave Artie a proper kiss. Artie set up their dinner and they had a nice evening together, cuddling on the couch and watching a movie. Quinn forgot about her loneliness for another day. 

-8-8-8-8-

“Hey, Quinn,” Gino said, coming up to her after class once more. He smiled down at her while she was trying to put her books away.

“Hey,” she replied and she shoved her books into her bag. She glanced up at him, but then made sure to look intent in closing her bag. He didn’t take the hint, not that she expected him to.

“So, I was wondering if you wanted to go get some coffee or something. Not now, since I know you have a class, but later,” he proposed with a little shrug, all the while still smiling.

She frowned and shouldered her messenger bag. “Yeah… no. I’m with someone.”

Gino chuckled and shook his head. “I’m just asking for coffee.” 

“Okay, then I’m just telling you no,” she answered. “Goodbye.” She left class and hoped that would be the end of it.

As she made her way to her next class, she felt a little guilt for saying “I’m with someone.” She wished she said she had a girlfriend.  _Am I still bothered by people knowing I’m with Artie?_ Not really bothered, but annoyed whenever people stare. 

Shaking her head, Quinn felt like she was looking at it too deeply. “I kissed her in a room full of people and would do it again in a heartbeat. I just don’t want that creep knowing my personal business.”

That made sense to her. She hoped she didn’t have to worry about Gino trying to date her anymore. But, she resolved to ignore him whenever she could. 

-8-8-8-8- 

The next class, Gino approached her before class began instead of waiting until it was over. He held two cups of what she assumed was coffee. He smiled at her. Frowning, she rubbed her face and then just made a show of taking out her books, acting like he wasn’t there. He put one of the cups down. Sighing through gritted teeth, she looked back up at him.

“Hey, I figured it’d be best to catch you before class, so you can’t just run out on me,” he said with what she was sure he thought was a charming smile. He eased down into the seat next to her. “I brought you a coffee, too. So, we can have coffee together.”

She frowned and gave him a little glare. “I don’t think you understand. I’m in a relationship.”

“Calm down. It’s just coffee. I’m not proposing,” he remarked with a shrug and what she assumed was meant to be a charming, boyish smile.

She narrowed her gaze.  _What a creep!_  ”You think you’re smooth, don’t you?” 

He smirked. “I’m just trying to have coffee with a smart, pretty girl in my class. Maybe pick her brain so I can participate in the class discussion and impress the professor. I haven’t said anything about dating or relationships. I just want to be friends.”

Quinn frowned, but she supposed all of that was possible and it made sense. She had people do things like that before. Still, she didn’t take the coffee and would do her best to ignore the hell out of him, no matter how persistent he became. 

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Quinn tells Artie about Gino.


	35. Lucky Ones

35: Lucky Ones

Artie realized her scheduling mistake long before her schedule became a problem. It was her last year, she had intense courses, and she needed work to keep up with bills and being able to take Quinn out, so she didn’t see how she could avoid it. Now, she wished she had taken a moment and tried to figure out how to get this to work. She missed being with Quinn for more than a couple of hours in the day.

“Maybe I should drop some clients,” Artie considered as she made her way to the apartment door. She was exhausted.

Dropping clients wouldn’t be the wisest move she ever made, she knew. She needed all the money she could possibly get. Twenty-five dollars for an hour of her time might not seem like a lot, but on days when she saw six clients, it all came into focus.  _It’s good to go to a school with over twenty thousand students_. She made good money and all of it went into the bank, so she could keep up with bills. Money for dates came from papers, which ate up more of her time, but not nearly as much as anything else since that was mostly copy and pasting things together she had already written. 

“Maybe I could stop going to the gym so much,” Artie figured as she slipped her shoes off. She doubted that would help considering she went to the gym before Quinn woke up. Besides, the gym calmed her down and relaxed her, keeping her from letting all of this other stuff consume her. “Princess, I’m home!”

Quinn was curled up on the couch with a book as usual. Artie leaned down and kissed her forehead. Quinn looked up and smiled. Artie kissed her mouth and eased down next to her, dropping her book bag to the floor.

“How was your day?” Artie asked as Quinn leaned against her. She put her arms around the smaller woman and kissed her once more.  _This is perfect. I want more of this_.

“A guy in my creative writing class brought me coffee,” Quinn answered, glancing back at Artie.

“Wha… what?” Artie couldn’t think of what else to ask.  _Shit, have I fucked up this thing so quickly that she’s going back to guys? Shit!_ She had to take a deep breath, but it didn’t stop her from shaking.

Quinn patted Artie’s leg and pressed herself against Artie a little more. “Baby, calm down. I told him I’m in a relationship. I’m not attracted to him. I don’t want him. In fact, I really wish he would just leave me alone.”

Artie managed to settle down a little, but her stomach still quivered. “You think he’s attracted to you, though?”

Quinn tried to give a nonchalant shrug, but it was stiff. “It’s either that or he wants to pick my brain about the class. He talked to me for a while today after class, trying to find out about what I write for the class and everything, but his eyes drifted often.”

Artie nodded and caressed Quinn’s stomach with one hand. She looked at the shirt Quinn had on and could understand why his eyes would drift. Of course, this didn’t help her stomach settle.

“Is he bothering you?” Artie asked.

Shaking her head, Quinn sighed. “No, not really. He’s just annoying so far, but he might be more than that. We’ll see what happens. I just wanted you to know.”

“Thank you for telling me. Let me know if he bothers you,” Artie said, stroking Quinn’s hair with her other hand. It was so soft and begged her fingers to thread through it.

“How was your day?”

“Busy. Four clients and my experiment write up. I should feel fine with writing, but this psych class makes it seem like I don’t know what writing is,” Artie reported with a chuckle.

“You’ll be fine, baby. You know what you’re doing,” Quinn said.

Artie smiled and sat up taller. “I’m glad you have such faith in me.”

“You want dinner?” Quinn inquired, reaching up to stroke Artie’s cheek.

“Not yet. I want to stay here and hold you for a little while. I’m sorry we don’t get more time like this.” Artie nuzzled Quinn’s hair, breathing in the sweet, apple scent of her shampoo.

Quinn’s hand moved to run her fingers through Artie’s hair and scratched her scalp. It felt wonderful. “Artie, I expected things would be like this. You’ve got a heavy load. I don’t blame you and I cherish our time together.”

“But, I’m going to do better.”  _I’ll be damned if I let her get away to some bastard in her class or some other dude that can offer her some time_.

Quinn didn’t say anything. They sat there quietly for a while, shifting their positions a little. Artie continued stroking Quinn’s hair and Quinn went back to reading while occasionally patting Artie’s leg. Artie wasn’t sure she’d be able to give this up, even for dinner. 

-8-8-8-8-

Artie couldn’t stop thinking about this guy from Quinn’s class, wondering what he was doing to her right now, saying to her, bringing her. Did they share other classes? Did he walk Quinn to class? She was tempted to go and check, but she resisted. She trusted Quinn.

“I do want to see her more, though,” Artie muttered with a pout.

She didn’t have the time now. Unfortunately, she needed to go see an advisor and then she had class. After that, she had two tutoring clients. Before she went home, she threw together a paper in the library and emailed it off. She felt wiped out by the time she walked through the door. She collapsed on the couch and only noticed then that it was empty.

“Princess?” Artie called. There was no answer.

Looking around, she didn’t see any signs of her lover. A scowl settled on her face and her heart thumped heavy in her chest. She scanned the living room for a note, but didn’t see one. She checked her phone to see if she missed any messages from Quinn.

“She’s probably out with Morgan,” Artie said, but that didn’t stop her from calling. She sighed when Quinn picked up. “Hey, Princess.”

“Hey, baby.”

“Um… where are you?” Artie figured she might as well ask what was on her mind.

“I’m with Morgan. I’m sorry I didn’t call you. She’s going through a moment and I just rushed over to see her.”

Artie felt herself relax. “Oh, sorry to hear that. Is it anything serious?”

“Only to her. She’s freaking out over a guy that she respects and likes asking her out. She’s worried she’s going to act like a dork and he’ll hate her.”

Artie smiled at that.  _This doesn’t sound like the confident, upbeat Morgan I know. I wonder who the lucky guy is to have her acting so goofy_. “Can I talk to her for a second?”

“Sure.” There was a pause and she could hear the friends arguing over the phone.

“Yes, Artie?” Morgan sighed.

“Listen to me. You’re a beautiful woman who is shockingly brilliant with an overwhelming cheerful and lovely personality. You are not a dork. If I wasn’t with Quinn and thought I’d have a chance, I’d totally want to date you. This guy isn’t going to know what hit him when he goes out with you. He’s lucky to even be in your presence. He’s stupid if he doesn’t realize that.”

“You’re just saying that because we’re friends,” Morgan argued.

“No, I’m saying that because it’s true,” Artie insisted in a strong voice. “You’re not the lucky one. He is. You know that. So, stop giving yourself a hard time. Make sure he doesn’t know what hit him because that’s just what you do.”

Morgan sighed. “Okay.”

“No, say it like you mean it.”

Morgan laughed. “Okay, I’ll put it on him.” The way she said it, Artie knew she was smirking and knew her work was done.

“You do that and send my girlfriend home sometime this century, please.”

“I make no promises on that last one. Thanks, though,” Morgan said.

“I’ll be back in a little while,” Quinn said as she got back on the phone. “Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

They disconnected the call and Artie managed to drag herself off of the couch. She took a shower and ate some leftovers. She ended up back on the couch, waiting for Quinn. She must’ve fallen asleep because the next thing she knew the apartment was dark and Quinn was curled on top of her, eyes closed and breathing steady. There was a blanket over them. Artie smiled to herself and rubbed Quinn’s back. Quinn sighed and snuggled closer.

Artie knew she’d regret it in the morning, but she decided to just go back to sleep. Kissing Quinn’s forehead, she readjusted the blanket and then closed her eyes.  _I’ll make more of these moments_. 

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Gino’s back.


	36. False Move

36: False Move

Quinn wished Gino would stop bringing her beverages and now pastries as well. She also wished he would find another seat. He was beginning to make creative writing her least favorite class, even though she loved everything about it except for him. He had taken to sitting next to her and whispering to her when she was trying to take notes. He smiled, as if he was being charming and seemed to think that everything he said was clever. His presence was tiresome.

The worst of it was, he did all of this while she pretended her wasn’t there. He made it damn impossible to ignore him. He was trying to force his way into her life and she couldn’t figure out why. She wouldn’t help him with class and she damn sure wouldn’t go out with him. Why didn’t he get that?

“So, we should go get lunch or something. I’m hungry. I bet you’d like something to eat, too,” Gino said, as if it was a given they’d go out, once class was over for the day.

“You forget, I have class,” she answered, shoving her things into her book bag. Every time he made an offer about going to do something, she told him of her class and that she was in a relationship. Both seemed to be in one ear and out of the other with him.

“Well, you don’t have class all day. We can go after your class,” he suggested with a smile, following her through the door. 

“Have you forgotten I’m in a relationship?” she inquired. Of course, she couldn’t see how he could forget since she mentioned almost every single time she saw him.

Gino laughed, his dark eyes shining. “So? It’s just lunch. Is your man so controlling and insecure that you can’t have friends and go to lunch with those friends? Doesn’t sound like much of a man.”

Quinn didn’t bother correcting him on the sex of her lover, even though she felt like Artie was much more of a man than Gino would ever be, but she couldn’t let the lies stand. “We’re not friends.” 

He laughed again and clutched his chest. “You wound me. I thought after these last few weeks, we’d grown to be good friends. We’ve had good talks, right?”

“No, you’ve had good talks. Now, I’ve got to class. Bye,” she said and rushed off, leaving the building to head to another nearby. Unfortunately, he trotted off after her. “Stop following me,” she growled. She did not know what she would do if he started accompanying her to class. The thought turned her stomach.

He gave her one his “charming” smiles. “I’m not following you. I’m headed this way, too. Now, I don’t understand what’s gotten you so upset. I’ve been nothing but friendly to you. I just want to be friends.” 

“No, you don’t. If you did, you’d stop asking me to coffee and lunch and you’d stop bringing me coffee and tea and other things to test the waters and see what I drink. You’d stop bringing me donuts and fretters and other junk that I don’t want from you. Now, I need to get to class.” She walked faster and he did the same.

“Hold on, hold on, hold on,” he said as he grabbed her arm, squeezing her forearm. 

Quinn automatically yanked away and glared at him. “Do not touch me! You’re not my friend, so stop acting so familiar with me. Stop following me. I’m going to class. Leave me be.”

He laughed and she ran off, her heart pounding nervously in her chest. This was not good. In fact, it bordered on scary now. 

-8-8-8-8-

Quinn looked over her shoulder for the rest of the day and didn’t feel safe, even when she was in the apartment. It wasn’t until Artie came in that she breathed a sigh of relief. She threw herself into Artie’s arms as soon as the door was shut. 

“Whoa!” Artie fell back, catching Quinn and holding her close. “Princess, what’s wrong?” She gently rubbed Quinn’s back, instantly soothing her.

Quinn shook her head, not ready to talk, not sure if she would make sense. She just wanted Artie to hold her right now. Artie obliged, going so far as to pick her up bridal style and carry her to the couch. She sat and held Quinn for what seemed like an eternity. 

“What’s wrong, my love?” Artie whispered and placed a gentle kiss to her forehead.

“The boy in my class…” Quinn sighed. “Gino,” she spoke his name through gritted teeth and scowled.

Artie frowned. “Gino? What did Gino do?” 

Quinn reported the whole mess all the way to him grabbing her. She could feel Artie shaking and saw a fire burst in russet eyes. Artie clutched her to her chest and panted for a few moments.

“This man put his hands on you?” Moving a hand, she rolled up Quinn’s sleeve. Quinn hadn’t thought to check for a bruise, but she bruised easily thanks to her fair skin. Artie began breathing through her nose as a dark burgundy ring was revealed. 

“Calm. Be calm,” Quinn whispered, cupping Artie’s face. She gave her a soft kiss to Artie’s mouth.

“I’m calm. I’m very calm. But, you know I can’t let this slide. I can’t just let someone put his hands on you. I can’t.”

Quinn nuzzled Artie’s neck. “I know. I know.” She kissed Artie’s pulse point. She knew when she told Artie what her reaction would be. She knew Artie would seek revenge. But, beyond that, she knew Artie would make her feel safe and that she did. 

-8-8-8-8-

Gino was on her again. Quinn tried to rush out of class, but he was on her heels, like a hungry wolf. And then, suddenly, he was gone. Turning, she saw Artie, pressing a hand against his chest and glaring down on him. She fell to Artie’s side.

“Let me go, you crazy motherfucker,” Gino growled, glaring at Artie. Other students walked by, some pausing momentarily to stare and others rushing through, wanting no part of this. Quinn just hoped no one called campus police. 

“You listen to me because I’m only going to say this once, you leave Quinn alone or I swear that you’ll regret it. I will beat the living shit out of you until you understand Quinn is off limits,” Artie stated in a low tone, low enough that only Gino and Quinn could hear her. Quinn grabbed her free hand and held it.

Gino’s gaze landed on Quinn. “What the hell is going on, Quinn?” 

“You need to leave Quinn alone,” Artie said.

“Who the fuck are you to tell me what I can do with Quinn?” he demanded.

“She’s my girlfriend,” Artie snarled. “Now, stop harassing her or stalking her or whatever the fuck it is you’re doing, or I swear to God you’ll regret it.” 

“Wait, Quinn, you’re a dyke?” Gino inquired, eyes on her partially incredulous and partially disgusted. Quinn winced.

Artie growled and let go his chest to punch him in the stomach. He crumbled immediately under her power, coughing and curling into a little ball. Artie put a hand on his shoulder and pressed him against the wall, keeping him somewhat on his feet. There was a definitely a small crowd now, wanting to see what happened next. Quinn hoped Artie didn’t put on too much of a show. 

“Watch your mouth, fucking dog. And remember that pain next time you even think to talk to her. It’ll be worse if you ever put your hands on her. Don’t try me,” Artie warned him, stood up, and turned away, taking Quinn with her. “Let’s get you to class.”

Quinn nodded and she realized she was shaking. “Yeah.” 

“Are you okay?” Artie asked, putting her arm around Quinn. They walked off, not paying Gino any mind. He didn’t seem to be getting up anytime soon anyway.

“I am.” Quinn swallowed, trying to stop her quivers. 

Artie held her close. “I’m sorry you had to see that.”

“Don’t be. On some level, I wanted you to do that. I wanted you to scare him and make sure he never came near me again. So, I don’t know why I’m shaking,” Quinn said.

“You’re shaking because that was intense. I’m sorry that things came to that, but know that I won’t let anyone hurt you or scare you. If he bothers you ever again, you tell me and like I told him, I will beat the living shit out of him.” Artie’s voice was deadly serious.

Quinn nodded, having no doubt that her lover would do just that. They traveled silently for a couple of minutes. “You should be in class,” she realized. 

“I left early. I wanted to take care of that guy before he really became a problem. First he’s following you and then he’s grabbing you. I don’t know what the fuck he might do next. I’m not going to give him the chance,” Artie vowed.

“But, you probably just made him angry.” 

Artie scoffed. “He can be angry. I’ve fought larger and angrier men, Princess. I’m not scared of him and you shouldn’t be either.”

Quinn nodded. She wasn’t scared of him, not with Artie by her side. “So, you left class early, huh?” 

“I’ll go back and get the notes from a friend. It’ll be fine. This is twenty minutes out of my three hour course,” Artie replied with a smile.

Quinn smiled in return and tucked herself close to Artie. Artie walked her all the way to class and kissed her softly.

“Love you,” Artie whispered.

“I love you, too,” Quinn replied. As they parted ways, Quinn felt protected and loved. But, in the back of her mind, she heard Gino’s words ‘ _you’re a dyke_.’ Even in her head, it made her flinch.  _Am I?_

-8-8-8-8- 

Next time: the unexpected aftermath of this.


	37. Label Less

37: Label Less

Artie met Quinn at the end of her creative writing class every day after the incident with Gino. He never came out when Quinn did, so Artie assumed he understood and believed her about what she would do to him if she caught him near Quinn. Quinn didn’t say anything about him bothering her during class, so she hoped things were going well there. But, something had to be wrong.

Quinn wasn’t quite as talkative as she usually was. She walked with Artie to her class and didn’t say a word. She looked straight ahead and Artie wondered if she had done something wrong.  _Maybe she’s upset over the way I handled it. Should I not have hit him?_ Artie didn’t see what choice she had. She needed him to understand not to come near Quinn again or there’d be consequences. He seemed to understand that, but Quinn was still troubled. 

“Princess, did I do something wrong?” Artie asked as they came to Quinn’s class. She reached out, wanting to touch Quinn, but pulled back at the last moment. What if touching her only made things worse?

Quinn blinked. “Huh? What do you mean?” 

Artie tugged the strap of Quinn’s book bag, which Artie carried for her girlfriend. “Did I do something wrong? You haven’t spoken to me yet. Last time I picked you up, you said about five words to me. You haven’t looked me in the eye in a while either. So, did I do something wrong?”

Quinn shook her head. “No, you haven’t done anything. I’m just… thinking.” She glanced away for a moment. 

“About?” Artie didn’t want to press, but she needed to know what she did. She _needed_ to fix this.

Quinn shook her head again and Artie sighed. She supposed she should be happy that Quinn didn’t lie to her or insult her intelligence by saying ‘nothing.’ But, she liked to think Quinn could trust her with anything. She trusted Quinn with everything. 

“Well, when you want to talk about it, you know I’m here, right?” Artie asked, feeling more confident in touching Quinn. She put her hand on Quinn’s shoulder and felt good when it wasn’t shrugged off. 

Quinn nodded and Artie leaned down, giving Quinn a quick kiss. It was returned, but it was light and distracted. Artie decided not to ask, especially since Quinn rushed into her class and Artie had her own course to return to. 

Artie’s concentration was shot for the day, though. She worried about Quinn, wondering if she had done anything and Quinn just didn’t want to tell her. Maybe it wasn’t about Gino, but actually the fact that she still hadn’t properly made time for Quinn.

“But, I’ve changed as much as I can,” Artie muttered with a frown. In the past couple of weeks because of Gino, Artie had rearranged her schedule. Not just to walk Quinn to class, but also to have lunch with Quinn. Quinn hadn’t been very talkative during lunch either. _I’m trying…_  

Artie went through what she had done that might’ve offended Quinn. She came up short. Maybe making time was too little, too late. She couldn’t figure out why Quinn wouldn’t say anything about that then. She just didn’t understand what was going on, so she didn’t know how to fix it. 

-8-8-8-8-

Quinn’s focus was practically nonexistent. She couldn’t pay attention through any of her classes. It was due to one idiot commenting that she was a dyke. She hated that this kept coming up in her mind. Just when she thought she dealt with it, it would rear its ugly head again.  _What’s wrong with me? I’m such an idiot. This shouldn’t bother me._  

Frowning, Quinn made her way to the apartment and was shocked to come in to the smell of dinner. Moving to the kitchen as quickly as she could, she discovered Artie, looking just a little frayed over a pan of meat sauce. Artie turned and smiled at her. 

“Hey, Princess.”

Quinn’s eyebrows drew in as she took in the scene. “What are you doing here?”

“Surprise?” Artie shrugged with one shoulder and ran her hand through her hair. She sighed and her shoulders dropped. “Tega promised me that spaghetti was easy.”

Quinn smiled a little. “It is. Let me finish it.” 

“You sure?”

Quinn nodded. “Yes.” 

Artie hurried out of the kitchen, as if she was all too happy to pass the task onto Quinn. Finishing the meal wasn’t that hard. Artie had done a good job. Quinn made them plates complete with toasted bread and drinks. She then called Artie to dinner. They sat down on the couch.

“This looks good,” Artie commented before digging in. 

Quinn chuckled. “You say that like you didn’t do most of the work.” She swirled some spaghetti onto her fork. “So, what are you doing home? You usually have a client at this time.”

“I rescheduled. Quinn, I need to know what’s going on with you. I need you to tell me what I did,” Artie said, staring right at Quinn.

Quinn put a hand on Artie’s wrist and held her tightly. “Baby, believe me, you didn’t do anything wrong and I hate that you think you did. You’re fine. You didn’t do anything,” she tried to assure her lover. 

“Are you sure this thing with Gino isn’t bothering you?” Artie’s meal was forgotten for the moment. She put the plate down on the coffee table. This was clearly weighing on her and Quinn wasn’t sure how to explain it exactly. She didn’t want to torture Artie, though.

Quinn played with her food briefly. “It has to do with Gino, but it has nothing to do with what you think. I’m still glad you handled it and I’m glad you walk me to class. He hasn’t bothered me.”

Artie nodded. “Then what is it? What does this have to do with him?”

“I just keep hear him calling me a dyke in my head. I don’t know why I find this so troublesome. I mean, why the hell does it bother me so much? I’m in a relationship with a woman.” Quinn teased Artie by giving her a sidelong glance.

Artie laughed. “Yeah, a woman. A woman who just happens to have big muscles.” She flexed her biceps. 

“A woman whose big muscles I very much like. So, why is it the thought of people assuming I’m gay bothers me?” Quinn felt her face scrunch up and she looked down into her food. “I feel bad about it. I’m not ashamed of you. I’m not.” She felt that in her heart.

Arte smiled and put her arm around Quinn. “Princess, I lost all doubt about that when you kissed me in the middle of a crowded bar. You don’t have to like the label just because you’re with a woman. Besides, being called a dyke is far from a compliment.” 

“Well, no, I know that. But, this whole gay thing still bothers me. Am I gay? I mean, since dating you, I haven’t been attracted to any guy. You know, except for on TV or something, but also, I’ve never been attracted to a woman, except you. And then, you don’t really act like a woman, so…”

Artie nodded and picked her plate back up to have a bit of food. “You haven’t been attracted to any guys? Really? I mean, you haven’t stopped and glanced really quick?”

Quinn chuckled. “So, you want me to look at other men?” 

“You can look all you want since I could kick their asses if they tried to do more.” She flexed once more.

“Be serious,” Quinn scolded her. She doubted Artie would like her looking at anyone, man or woman.

A lopsided grin conquered Artie’s face. “All right, seriously, I’d rather you not look at men. I like the idea that you’ve had your eyes and heart focused on me because I’m the same. Well, I’ve been the same since Tega almost tore my ear off.”

Quinn smiled. “I’ve always liked her.” 

“Quinn, people are going to say shitty things and things that aren’t true, but you can’t keep letting them get to you. If you say you’re not a lesbian, then you’re not. You don’t even have to call yourself bisexual. You’re _you_. Yeah, you’re in a relationship with a woman, but so what? I told you before I damn sure wouldn’t suddenly be straight if I slept with a guy. Hell, even if I got into a relationship with a guy. Besides, it’s like you said, I don’t act much like a woman. I just accept that as my biological sex. I’m not entirely sure what my gender would be and I don’t let that bother me. You don’t need to label yourself.” 

Quinn nodded. They’d gone through this so many times. She wasn’t sure what it was that bothered her. Maybe it was the not knowing. She wasn’t sure if she was a lesbian or not. Even being with Artie was a bit confusing.

“I love you and I want to be with you, but I sometimes wonder if I’m able to do this because…” Quinn sighed; she didn’t want to say it. 

“Because of how I used to identify and how I still lean more toward that than toward being a woman?” Quinn nodded again and Artie ate a little bit more of her food. “I don’t think you should worry about that.”

“When you were younger, did you get pissed when people called you a girl?”

Artie nodded. “Hell, yeah. You met me when I had finally accepted what I was and changed in the sense that I didn’t get pissed over it, but for my entire life before college, I was a guy and anyone that said anything different was a bastard and getting his ass beat. But, I’m saying you don’t have to go through all of that anger. Fuck them. It’s not important. You just need to accept yourself. I’ve been much happier since doing that, a lot less angry, a lot less defensive, and a lot less on guard.”

Sighing, Quinn finally ate some of her food. “I don’t know why I can’t let this go. I feel like I’m running in circles. I don’t want this to come up again and hurt us. I mean, you’ve probably been driving yourself crazy trying to figure out what’s wrong with me.”

Artie gave her a small smile and pulled her in for a hug. “Because when you hurt, I hurt. You know that.” 

Quinn nodded. “Because when you hurt, I hurt. I’m sorry, but I just haven’t been able to sort this out and I hate that I keep replaying it. It’s stupid.” 

“It’s not stupid. I’ve an idea.” Artie held up a finger as if this made it a brilliant idea.

Quinn arched an eyebrow. “An idea?” 

“Yeah, we’re going to go to a club. I want you to see that lesbians come in all shapes and sizes, but also there are women who sleep with women and don’t call consider themselves lesbians. Just so you can see. I think some of this might just be coming from isolation. I mean, the only lesbians you know are Vega and Tega.”

Quinn turned her mouth up. “Do you really think that’s going to help?” 

“Wouldn’t hurt to try. Besides, it’ll shut Vega up about going out. I can’t even keep the phone to my ear with her anymore. ‘Oh, we should go out.’ ‘Hey, what are you doing? Wanna go out?’ For someone who doesn’t drink, she damn sure wants to go out a lot.” Artie made a comical face, sticking out her tongue.

Quinn chuckled a bit. “I get the feeling she likes watching Yvonne.” 

Artie nodded. “She does. It’s always been like that. Yvonne’s always been aware of it, too. In fact, she used it to entice Vega, who’s much stupider than she appears.”

Quinn’s face scrunched up a bit, but she laughed. “What do you mean?” 

“When we first met Yvonne, Vega thought she liked me, right?”

Quinn nodded. “Yes, you’ve said. This is why Vega gets upset when you tell her you’re Yvonne’s favorite.”

“Yes, it is. But, Yvonne acted like she liked me because she wanted Vega’s attention. We all know Vega isn’t the friendliest person on Earth, so it made it hard for Tega to approach her. So, Tega went with the easier option of befriending me and being very touchy with me. She flirted with me all the time, wanting Vega to see and hopefully get jealous. Again, Vega was too dumb to realize it.” 

Quinn thought it might have been something else than Vega being oblivious and standoffish. “She knew she was a lesbian by then?” She was aware Vega figured out early in her life that she was a lesbian, but she was not sure if Vega accepted that early in life. 

“Yup.” Artie ate a little bit more while Quinn digested that information.

“Did Vega have other girlfriends before Yvonne?” Quinn asked before eating some of her dinner. She would be lucky if it wasn’t cold before she got through half of it. 

“A couple. Nothing serious, although as teens, I’m sure they thought it was serious. Vega didn’t know what serious was until Yvonne came along. She had this look, like she was thunderstruck, when she first met Yvonne.” Artie held her hand up to her face and her eyes went wide. “I knew what love looked like whenever Vega saw Yvonne. I think that’s one of the main reasons her father just accepted their relationship. I mean, he was cool with Vega being a lesbian and all, but he totally just accepted Yvonne. Considered her a daughter right away.” She finished up her food.

Quinn smiled. “That’s oddly beautiful. Not something I’d ever associate with Vega.” 

“Yeah, but something you all of the time associate with Yvonne,” Artie remarked with a grin. “So, you want to go to a club? Just to check it out and see if it works.”

Quinn sighed and shook her head, but she was smiling. She’d do it. It might work. She wanted to get over this thing, whatever it was.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: going home for Spring Break.


	38. Happy Birthday

38: Happy Birthday

As it turned out, the idea of going to a club had to be put on hold. Vega wasn’t as available as she pretended to be. She just liked annoying Artie, which wasn’t a surprise to Artie. It worked out because Artie was swamped with work anyway. So, they put it off until Spring break.

Spring Break set upon them and Artie was ready to welcome the chaos of home. She felt so exhausted. She didn’t even have it in her to do the drive as she usually would. She fell asleep ten minutes into the journey and only woke up when they were in front of the house. 

“Shit, Princess, I’m sorry,” Artie muttered, rubbing her eyes.

Quinn reached over and caressed Artie’s cheek. “You need it. You’re running yourself ragged. You’re doing your courses, doing your work, and trying to be there for me all the time. You’re tired.” 

Artie shook her head. “This isn’t the place to be tired.”

Quinn smiled. “This is the perfect place for you to be tired. If you tell them you need to sleep, they’ll let you.”

“But, will they let me cuddle you?”

Quinn shrugged. That was something they’d have to see. The ambush was as expected. Quinn could keep up with the questions and answer just as well as Artie could now. Artie was grateful for that, as her sisters were just a blur to her.

“Guys, can you excuse us for a few hours? Artie really needs to take a nap,” Quinn said, cradling Diana in her arms. Juno was too big for Quinn, but Artie held her with no problem, even as tired as she was.

“You need a nap? Why?” Juno asked, cupping Artie’s face with both hands. “Naps are boring!” 

Artie laughed while trying to open her eyes more than halfway. It was a struggle. “Yeah, most of the time. But, I fell asleep in the car, for a really long time. I’m so tired.” She dramatically pressed the back of her hand to her forehead. Her sisters giggled.

“But, we wanted to talk about stuff!” Venus huffed, folding her arms across her chest.

“Important stuff,” Aphrodite added with a serious nod. “Very important.”

“Most important!” Tia chimed in.

“All right, you’re taking it overboard,” both twins said at the same time and glared at her. Of course, when they registered they spoke the same sentence at the same time, they turned to glare at each other.

Quinn jumped as Tia’s expression dropped. “You guys can talk to her when she wakes up. She’s been working very hard and just needs a nap.”

“But, you can stay with us!” Diana declared.

“Actually, I’m a little tired, too,” Quinn said and Artie smiled a bit.

The girls backed down, but continued clamoring. Artie eased to the basement door with Quinn not far behind. Artie was able to ease Juno off of her, but Quinn couldn’t shed Diana so easily. Artie ended up tickling her to get down.

“No fair!” Diana tittered as she slid to the ground.

“Just give us a couple of hours to sleep, Piglet. That’s all I ask,” Artie replied.

“But, that’s boring! We should play. You’ve been gone for forever,” Diana huffed, puffing out her cheeks.

“We will. After the nap,” Artie promised. She almost fell down the stairs to get to her bed, but Quinn held her steady.

Quinn turned to shut the door behind them. Artie was about to tumble down into the bed, but Quinn came up behind her and took a handful of her shirt. Groaning, she bent down and allowed Quinn to tug off her shirt for her. She couldn’t hit the bed yet until Quinn also removed her pants for her. This was something they went through at their apartment, too, on days when Artie wanted to do nothing more than collapse into bed. She dropped like a weight as soon as she was free to do so. The bed felt so good. Not long after, Quinn slid in next to her and her arms automatically wrapped themselves around the smaller woman.

“You’re so good to me,” Artie whispered and kissed the side of Quinn’s head.

Quinn smiled. “You’re the same to me. Now, get some sleep. You’ve earned it.”

Artie was asleep within seconds. She awoke to a dark room and glanced at the clock to see she’d been asleep for hours. Quinn was gone, which she expected. On the weekends, when they were able to cuddle, Quinn tended to stay curled up with her for an hour before she fell asleep and Quinn worked. Artie yawned and stretched, throwing her hands up to the ceiling. She rolled her neck and her shoulders a few times and decided to go brave her sisters once she was dressed.

The din upstairs was nothing new. Juno and Diana had Quinn cornered on the couch, watching some cartoon. The twins grabbed Artie before she could sit down and pulled her to the kitchen. Tia trailed behind them.

“Quinn’s birthday,” Aphrodite started.

“Is coming up,” Venus finished.

“We have to do something!” Tia bounced on her heels and waved her arms around.

Artie chuckled and grinned. “Sure, we can do something. How do you guys know her birthday’s coming up?”

They all scoffed. “We talked to her, duh.” They all glared at each other. They seemed a little confused as to who to glare at the most until the twins decided to just glare at Tia, who scowled at them.

Artie should’ve seen that response coming. “So, what do you want to do for her?” she asked, pulling Tia close to her and rubbing her shoulder.

“Bake a cake!” the twins said.

“Can we go to dinner? She’d like that, right?” Tia asked, staring up at Artie.

Artie nodded. “Yes, to both.”

“We need supplies!” Venus grinned.

“Let’s go to the store,” Aphrodite shouted and she ran off. Her twin followed close behind.

Artie laughed and pull Tia a little closer to her. Tia smiled up at her once more and she massaged Tia’s shoulder. Tia gave her a one-armed embrace in return.

“You want to buy her something nice, don’t you?” Artie asked.

Tia nodded enthusiastically. “I do. Can you help me?”

Artie picked Tia up, struggling as she did so. “You’re getting so heavy, so big. You’re going to be bigger than I am.” She wanted to put Tia on her shoulders, but settled for putting the girl on her back. _Aw, my little glasses buddy is growing up on me_.

Tia laughed. “I want big muscles like you.” She gripped Artie’s shoulders.

“You have to start training then. By your age, I was already training.”

“Then, I’ll start. I can go to the gym with you!”

Artie chuckled. “You can. We’ll have fun. Now, back to this matter of a present. Why should I help you when you always upstage me? She liked your Christmas present more than mine.” She gave Tia a smile.

Tia giggled more, but seemed to preen, holding her head up high. “You think so?”

“I know so, but don’t you get any ideas, okay? Quinn’s gonna be my wife one day, so you can’t steal her from me.”

“Then you better not be mean to me because Quinn likes me best.”

Artie laughed. For some reason, she liked that Quinn showered Tia with attention to the point that Tia felt comfortable saying Quinn liked her best. She carried her little sister on her back to the sofa and dropped down, gaining laughs from all of those that she practically crushed. Eventually everyone settled and snuggled against each other, Tia making sure she was close to Quinn. Artie smiled to herself, happy her sisters wanted to do something for Quinn’s birthday. They only had a couple of days to throw something together, though.

Later, Artie caught up with her mother. “Mom, I want to take Quinn out for her birthday and all of the girls want to go. Will you come, too?”

Anna nodded. “As long as it’s not a work day.”

Artie chuckled. “That’s hard for you. What if we went early? You don’t have to leave until nine. We could go at five and be back here by eight. The twins are making a cake, so you’d be able to have a piece and then go off to work, or is it too much?”

Anna sighed and rubbed her head. “I can do it.”

Artie smiled and kissed her mother’s cheek. “Thank you.”

A smile settled on Anna’s face. “I want you to be happy.”

“I am.”

“Then so am I. Besides, Quinn is nice girl, a good girl. She’ll take care of you. You deserve to have someone take care of you.”

Artie puffed out her chest at these words. Quinn may never know it, but she vastly improved Artie’s rather poisonous relationship with her mother. She would be eternally grateful for that.

Artie made reservations at a family restaurant. It wasn’t an elegant or expensive place, but it would suit their family. It was a nice place, though. She was certain Quinn would like it.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t leave it up to a surprise because anyone of her sisters would blab as soon as Quinn asked why they were wearing such nice clothes. Diana especially would let the cat out of the bag, if only from the sheer excitement. So, she figured it was best to just tell Quinn.

“You want to take me out for my birthday?” Quinn asked as she and Artie stood in the den. She managed to get the girls to leave them be for a moment. Quinn appeared confused by this, like it had not occurred to her that they would do something special for her birthday.

“We want to. The entire pantheon. I’m just telling you because in about two minutes the Piglet’s going to run in here to show you her good shoes and you’re going to ask why she’s dressed up and she’s going to tell you why,” Artie replied.

Quinn laughed, but that was exactly what happened. Diana was just too proud of her shoes. The other girls were a bit more restrained, but Juno told Quinn where they were going without even prompting. The twins told her of the cake they made because they had frosting on their faces, eating what was left from the cake. Tia promised Quinn this would be her best birthday and all of this happened in about five minutes. Artie was far from surprised by her sisters’ inability to keep this to themselves, even the older ones.

“I suppose I should change my clothes,” Quinn commented, wearing a simple yellow sundress.

“You’re fine, Princess,” Artie promised her.

“No, please. I want to dress up for my best birthday,” Quinn said with a smile, winking at Tia.

Artie chuckled and motioned for Quinn to go to the basement. Artie was tempted to follow, but knew it would take a lot less time if Quinn was down there alone. Within ten minutes, Quinn returned in a violet cocktail dress. The twins snickered and Aphrodite patted Artie on the back.

“You want me to pick your tongue up off the floor there?” Aphrodite remarked.

“Showing a lot of leg there, Miss Quinn,” Venus teased. Quinn only smiled as she went to Artie’s side.

“Are we taking two cars then?” Anna asked as she assembled with the group. Quinn’s eyes went wide.

“You’re coming?” Quinn asked, her voice quivering.

Anna blinked. “Yes, unless, I’m not invited.” Her eyes fell to Artie, who nodded to reaffirm she was definitely invited.

Quinn shook her head. “No, of course, you’re invited. I just… I thought you’d be asleep. That you wouldn’t trouble yourself.”

Anna smiled. “It’s no trouble.” 

It warmed Artie to see her mother get along with Quinn and to make an effort. Anna even took Quinn’s hand and walked her to Quinn’s car. They spoke in low tones with each other until they parted ways for Anna to go to her car. The younger three rode with Artie and Quinn while the twins went with Anna. Tori and Andre met them at the restaurant, as did Yvonne and Vega.

“Oh, my god,” Quinn muttered as they were all seated. Artie pulled out her chair, putting her at the head of the table. 

“Remember, you’re the princess,” Artie whispered and kissed Quinn behind her ear.

Quinn nodded and sat down with Artie next to her. The couple held hands. They all chatted and ate, all enjoying each other’s company. They returned home and there was cake, which was really good. They sang Happy Birthday and Quinn got presents. Artie mostly stood back, loving the smile that stayed on Quinn’s face for the entire day. 

-8-8-8-8- 

Next time: club time.


	39. Expanding Universe

39: Expanding Universe

Quinn and Artie lay together in bed the night of her birthday. Quinn had Artie’s hand in hers and tapped at Artie’s fingertips for no real reason. It was probably eagerness and anxiety mixed into one big ball of nervous energy. 

“Was it a happy birthday?” Artie asked.

“Very much so. I was so surprised that Vega came.”

“She likes you. She’s never going to say it. She’s just gonna be there for you when you need her. She’ll be a shoulder for you to cry on and she’ll tell you what you need to hear to help you set any problem straight. That’s Vega. She’s going to be grumpy and grouchy toward you, like she is with me.” 

Quinn chuckled. “That’s something to look forward to.”

Artie smiled. “It actually is. She’s always there, telling me the truth, whether I want to hear it or not.”

Quinn nodded because she knew that was the truth. Vega had been there for her. She’d like to do the same for Vega. She’d just be less disgruntled about it.

“Oh, we’re going to a lesbian club tomorrow as part of your birthday, even though it’s a day late. I just couldn’t get the grandparents to watch the girls tonight,” Artie explained.

“Okay. Vega and Yvonne are going to come?”

“Yup. Yvonne picked the club as she felt me and Vega would’ve taken you someplace you wouldn’t have liked. Tega has, like, zero faith in us.”

Quinn laughed and kissed Artie to lift her spirits. “She just likes teasing you both.”

“I know.” Artie sighed and before they could say anything else, Diana made her way down. She moved into her usual spot, made herself comfortable, and the sisters were asleep within minutes.

Quinn watched them for a moment. It always amazed her how good Artie was with Diana. She had a special touch with all of her sisters, but Diana obviously had a very special place in Artie’s heart. One day, she would ask why that was. She assumed this was how Artie would be as a parent, even though she was basically a parent in this house.

“I probably shouldn’t be thinking of that,” Quinn murmured. To distract herself, she grabbed her cell phone. She just wanted to look at her call history. The calls from a couple of hours ago brought a smile to her face. Her grandparents had called earlier while they were out having dinner.

She had spoken to all of her grandparents for about fifteen minutes each that night. She made sure they all knew Artie treated her to dinner and the twins baked her a cake. Her grandparents all seemed impressed, but they could’ve been humoring her. She spoke of Artie often whenever they called her and sometimes she knew she made things sound too good to be true. But, sometimes, things were just _that_ good. She also knew that her information was the reason they kept putting off visiting. She told them how busy Artie was and if they wanted to get to know Artie, they needed to wait. She was scared they might overwhelm her poor girlfriend.

She was sure her grandparents would like Artie when they finally sat down with her. They’d probably have some trouble with her appearance, especially if she wore her retro clothing, but they’d like her. Smiling, Quinn put her phone down and settled into a peaceful sleep.

-8-8-8-8-

“My, my, my aren’t we fancy for our first taste of a lesbian club,” Vega teased as they all headed to her car. For all of her teasing, her gaze stayed on Quinn in her crimson cocktail dress, which stopped just above her knees.

“Hey, you keep your eyes on your own girl,” Artie said, shoving Vega with one hand and wrapping the other around Quinn. She held Quinn tight.

Artie and Vega both opted to dress in vintage newsboy clothing. Artie wore sand colored pants with matching suspenders and a navy short-sleeve shirt and long socks. Vega had on black pants with matching suspenders and a yellow short-sleeve shirt with matching socks. Cutely enough, Vega’s shirt matched Yvonne’s dress. Yvonne’s dress left little to the imagination and Quinn was a bit shocked because she wasn’t used to seeing Yvonne wearing something so revealing. Even when they went out on New Year’s Eve, Yvonne had covered up much more.

“I’ve got hands and eyes on my woman,” Vega stated with her hand resting casually on Yvonne’s barely-covered ass.

“You watch those hands, missy,” Yvonne giggled, playfully swatting at her lover’s hands. “Let’s get going to La Isla. I need to dance!” Yvonne pressed her full body against Vega, who growled. Yvonne smiled as Vega’s hands drifted up and down her torso. Yvonne nipped at Vega’s bottom lip.

Quinn smiled. She’d never seen those two so frisky. They hopped in the car with Vega driving and Yvonne riding shotgun. Quinn and Artie slid in the backseat where Artie had trouble keeping her hands to herself. Quinn giggled and moved Artie’s hands from her bare legs, but they just came right back.

“Hey, back there. Save that for the club,” Vega ordered, smirking at them from the rear view mirror.

“You just keep your eyes on the road,” Artie replied. “And maybe put both hands on the wheel.”

Vega scoffed, like that was not going to happen. They took a ride downtown. Quinn was admittedly a little surprised when they got to the club because it looked like a regular club, except the bouncer outside was a woman and looked like she could probably bench press Artie. This alone was enough to make Quinn stop and stare.

“Oh, is this your type?” Artie whispered in her ear and Quinn felt her face heat up. She yelped and rushed into the club, following behind Yvonne and Vega. Artie smiled. “Princess, it’s all right, as long you know I could totally take her.”

Quinn chuckled. “I’ve no doubt.” She assumed Artie could probably take about anyone, but she planned on talking to Artie about this later. She needed Artie to stop thinking everything was about her muscles. 

The club was kind of what she expected, but also not what she expected. It was a club. There was a bar, music, dance floor, tables, and everything a club should have. There were women, just as she expected, as well. But, the variety was shocking. There were women there that she felt were obviously lesbians, but there were more that she never would have guessed.

“You want a drink or to dance or just walk around?” Artie asked, placing a gentle, but protective hand on the small of her back. 

“Can we walk around first?” Quinn requested.

Artie grinned. “Of course, Princess.” 

Quinn smiled and they walked off hand and hand. The music was pumping and flashing lights seemed to fuel those on the dance floor. One of those people happened to be Yvonne. Quinn craned her neck, needing to see Yvonne with Vega. She couldn’t imagine Yvonne dancing with anyone else, but she couldn’t imagine Vega dancing at all. Yvonne danced alone, which made the most sense.

They toured the entire club, which Artie was obviously very familiar with considering she knew what spots to warn Quinn away from, especially the balcony on the second floor. Quinn wondered what happened there, but didn’t ask because she doubted she could handle the answer. For the most part, she liked what she saw.

Best of all, Quinn saw a wide variety of people. Artie knew some and they chatted for a while. They were professional women, college students, artists, blue-collar workers, and everything in between. They had a variety of hobbies and interests. Some of them were what Quinn guessed would be called “butch,” others were elegant, others she supposed could be considered almost regal and ladylike, and others were… for lack of a better term “normal.” It was a lot to take it, but it wasn’t at the same time.

“Hey, there’s Vega. Let’s go sit,” Artie suggested, shouting over the music. 

Quinn nodded, still processing what she saw. Artie pressed a hand to the small of Quinn’s back and led her to the table where Vega sat. Vega and Artie nodded to each other while Artie pulled Quinn’s chair out for her.

“I’m going to get us something to drink,” Artie said with her hand now on Quinn’s shoulder. “You want anything special?” 

“Soda’s fine,” Quinn answered.

“You sure? Vega’s driving. It’s not like it’s any trouble since no one ever bothers to card me for some reason,” Artie said. Of course, she was of age, so it did not matter if she was carded or not anymore.

“People probably think you’ll get insulted if they ask for your ID because surely you’ll assume they’re trying to figure out your sex and then you’ll break them in half,” Vega said with a smirk and then she made a muscle. Hanging around Artie, sometimes it was easy to forget that Vega was built in her own right because she was not as big as Artie, but seeing her arm now, it looked like she might be able to tear someone’s limb off.

“Just for that, you get no offer,” Artie declared with a silly face and walked away. Her exit might have made more of an impact if Vega wasn’t already drinking a bottle of water.

“So, how you liking your first lesbian club experience?” Vega asked. 

Quinn shrugged. “It’s nice, but you know, it’s like every other club, but with lesbians.”

“Well, lesbians make everything better,” Vega joked.

Quinn chuckled. Before they could struggle into a conversation, Yvonne rushed over and took Vega by the hand. Vega pretended to resist, but Yvonne managed to get her on the dance floor with very little effort. Before she disappeared into the sea of bodies, Vega shouted to Quinn to watch her water. Quinn threw up an ‘okay’ sign with her hand so Vega knew she heard. She could’ve sworn Vega was grinning when she was swallowed up on the dance floor. 

“Hey,” a woman said as she sat down next to Quinn. “What’s a cute thing like you doing here all alone?”

Quinn smiled. “I’m not alone.” She felt a blush burning her cheeks a bit, flattered by the attention. The feeling surprised her because she thought she would feel nervous having a lesbian hit on her.

“No? So, your girlfriend abandoned you here? She’s a fool,” the woman remarked with a smile of her own. She was a beautiful woman. She was clearly older than Quinn, probably late twenties or early thirties. She was dressed in a suit with a white blouse and three buttons undone, showing off very generous goods.

“Yeah, but she’s my fool,” Quinn replied with another smile. 

The woman chuckled. “Loyal to a fault, huh?”

“I owe her that and more, so I don’t think of it as a fault.”

“Well, I guess you’re out of my league then. You sound like a great girl. If she ever gives you a reason to stop owing her.” The woman handed her a business card and moved on.

Quinn laughed and played with the card. She was stunned she didn’t feel strange about having a woman hit on her. It was a little annoying because she was there with Artie, but it was great that she could be polite and the woman just walked away. A few guys had done that to her before and it was much better than others who didn’t seem to listen. She wondered if lesbians could be like that or if they listened and walked away.

“So… do I have to go and talk with that chick that was just over here?” Artie asked as she slid into the seat next to Quinn. She eased the soda in front of Quinn.

“Why, did my knight in shining newsboy gear just leave to fend for myself in this den of lust?” Quinn teased, dramatically pressing her hand to her chest. 

Artie glanced in the direction the woman walked off. “I thought you’d want the whole club experience.”

Quinn scoffed. “If you thought that, you’d take me to that balcony.” 

Artie snorted and rolled her eyes. “Fuck that. No balcony.”

Quinn’s brow furrowed. Now, she was curious. “What happens on the balcony? I mean, obviously you’ve been. So, tell me about it.”

Artie shook her head. “Maybe some other time.” 

Quinn doubted that would happen, but didn’t press the issue. She turned her attention to the dance floor just in time to see Vega running from Yvonne. Yvonne caught up and grabbed Vega by the hand, yanking her back. Yvonne wasted no time grinding against Vega. Vega did not seem to be trying to escape now. 

“Should we dance?” Quinn asked, nodding toward the crowd.

“If you want. Let’s wait for those two to sit back down, so we don’t lose the table and someone can watch out drinks.” 

Quinn nodded and they had to wait a few minutes before Vega finally escaped Yvonne and made her way back to the table. Vega gulped down her water and as soon as she finished Yvonne charged over, nearly knocking her out of her seat. Yvonne laughed as she settled on Vega’s lap.

“Come on, they’re gonna need a moment,” Artie said, taking Quinn by the hand.

Quinn didn’t have to ask what they needed a moment for because Yvonne was kissing Vega like they were the only two people around before Quinn and Artie were even standing. Quinn didn’t think about it before she was pressed against Artie and the music caused her body to move. Artie held her close, but didn’t move much.

“You don’t want to dance?” Quinn asked.

Artie twisted her mouth up a bit. “I’m not that good. It’s fun doing it indoors with you, but outside, I just like the excuse to hold you against me and feel you move.”

For some reason, this admission made Quinn smile. “I’ll be sure to keep moving then.” 

They danced for long minutes, Quinn taking in the atmosphere as well. It was fun place and she was happy to come with the friends. Eventually, she tired out and needed a moment, so they made their way back to the table. Yvonne and Vega were still cuddled up together, sharing a chair, and probably whispering sweet-nothings to each other as they exchanged kisses every few seconds. Artie took a swig from her water while Quinn downed most of her soda.

“You want another?” Artie asked. 

Quinn shook her head. “No, but may I have some of your water?”

Artie shrugged and passed her the bottle. Quinn didn’t think anything about sharing the water with Artie. She took a drink and handed it back. Her gaze fell on the crowd, watching people move, again marveling over how different everyone was. Suddenly an approaching girl got her attention as she moved next to Artie ran her hands over Artie’s shoulders.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Artie said, quickly removing the wandering hands. “Excuse you, I’m here with my girlfriend.” 

Her blue eyes went wide and she looked mildly embarrassed. “Girlfriend? Quit playing, Artie.”

“Yeah, my girlfriend, so move along. Nothing to see here,” Artie replied and shooed the woman away with a wave of her hand. The woman sulked and slinked away. Artie glanced at Quinn. “I used to come here a lot and pick up women.” 

“I assumed as much.” Of course, assuming and having it confirmed and thrown in her face was another matter. It wouldn’t be the only time that night a woman came up to Artie. Thankfully, it also wouldn’t be the only time that Artie informed a woman that she had a girlfriend and sent the woman on her way.

She couldn’t hold it against Artie, especially since she got more than her fair share of women hitting on her. Still, it was an interesting night. She learned things about herself. 

-8-8-8-8-

“Do you think we’ll have the bed to ourselves since it’s so late?” Quinn asked as she and Artie settled in the bed. It was past four in the morning. They had hit a couple of other clubs after La Isla.

“Maybe. The Piglet should be deep in her sleep now. I don’t think they heard us come in.” Artie pressed Quinn close to her, running her hands over Quinn’s hips and ass. 

Quinn’s eyes went wide and she sat up. “I hope they didn’t or that means they heard us in the shower.”

Artie chuckled as she pulled Quinn back down. Her hands went right back to doing what they were before. “Don’t worry. They didn’t hear that. So, you liked clubbing with us?”

Smiling, Quinn settled and put a hand on Artie’s abdomen. “Yeah, it was fun. I liked it a lot. I think you were right. I think I needed to see that lesbians came in all shapes and sizes. I’m still not sure if I’m a lesbian.” 

“But, you do have a type,” Artie commented.

“I do not,” Quinn huffed. 

“Princess, I caught you checking out at least three chicks. You have a type and I think this is why you’re not really attracted to anyone at school.”

“Artie, I do not have a type. I love you and I’m attracted to you and that’s that.” Of course, that was not that. She did have a type. Quinn was attracted to tough, butch women. She had feigned staring at them because she was not used to seeing a variety of them in one place, and maybe that was part of the allure, but there was way more to it than that. She was sure she’d hear about it for a while since Artie had caught her looking. She felt bad for looking, but Artie didn’t seem to think it was a bad thing. 

Artie didn’t say anything. She just held Quinn close. Quinn decided to just go to sleep, not think on anything yet. The night was fun and education. That was that. 

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: the couple discusses the future a little.


	40. Looking Forward

40: Looking Forward 

With Spring Break over, Quinn felt a ball of dread building in her and it got bigger with each passing day. It had nothing do with her recent revelations about lesbians or her own shifting attractions. It was more about Artie graduating and she thought about it constantly.

Artie had already been accepted into the graduate program at Parker University, which was awesome beyond the fact that they’d still be attending the same school. It was difficult to be accepted into the graduate programs, but Artie seemed to manage with ease. Advisors in both of her majors had also offered to help Artie get a job next semester if she needed to work, which Artie was seriously considering. She would meet all sorts of new people when she undoubtedly decided to get her first real job. Artie was advancing in life and Quinn worried that she might be left behind.

They already had such little time to themselves. They’d go home during the summer and have even less time. When the school year started again, she’d be busy with courses, seminars, graduation requirements, the school paper, and dozens of other things. She couldn’t even imagine what type of schedule Artie would have. 

“What if she meets someone more sophisticated?” Quinn swallowed a lump in her throat. What if Artie met someone who didn’t have a breakdown at being called a lesbian? What if Artie met someone who didn’t scold her about how much she empathized her muscles? What if Artie met someone who didn’t reprimand her for being messy or bringing tutoring clients around? Her thoughts were disrupted as she heard the front door open.

“Hey, Princess,” Artie called and seconds later emerged into the hallway. 

“Hey, baby,” Quinn replied, adjusting the laptop on her lap. She was almost surprised it was there.  _Oh, right, I was making my schedule. I guess that’s why I got lost in my thoughts, realizing all of the stuff I had on my plate. Surely Artie will have so much more_.

“Hey, are you making your schedule for next year?” Artie slid in next to her and kissed her cheek.

Quinn sighed at the feel of Artie’s lips. Her heart thumped, but her stomach turned as she thought about what would happen in a few weeks. Artie was graduating and moving on. Shaking that thought away, she noticed Artie stared at her and she remembered Artie asked her a question.

“Yeah. Do you see your advisor yet?” Quinn replied. 

“Yup. He gave me a good talk about graduate school. He said I should focus on one masters and then the other to avoid overloading myself, which sounds good. He gave me a list of my required courses and things. He was going to help me make a schedule, but I wanted to do it with you.”

Quinn’s brow furrowed. “You want to make your schedule with me?”

Russet eyes lit up and Artie smiled brightly. “Yes. I hate how frantic I’ve been with trying to spend time with you this term and I don’t want to go through that again. I want to be able to coordinate our schedules better and hopefully we’ll be able to spend more time together.” 

Quinn nodded. “Will you take a summer course with me, then?”

Artie arched an eyebrow. “A summer course?” 

“We can go to school together and spend some time together.”

“But, I’m supposed to watch the girls during the day,” Artie reminded her. 

Quinn sighed, shoulders slumping. “Oh, right. Never mind.”

Artie frowned. “I’m sorry, Princess.”

“No, no, no. It’s all right. I still like this idea of us planning our schedules together to match up and make sure we have time together.” Quinn smiled. She felt like her earlier anxiety was over nothing. Moving her laptop, she went and got Artie’s for her and they sat down to map out their classes together. 

“That was pretty simple.” Artie shut her computer down.

“I’m glad you suggested that,” Quinn said. Now, they’d get time to be together and maybe Artie wouldn’t leave her behind. 

Artie shrugged. “Well, it’s something that’s bugged me all term. I want be able to spend a lot of time with you. I want to go on dates beyond on Saturdays. I want to be not tired to the point where I’m too exhausted to take you out even on a Saturday.”

Quinn smiled. “You really love me, huh?” 

Artie leaned over and kissed her forehead. “You know I do.”

Quinn sat up a little taller. “I love you, too. Do you have time now? We can watch a movie together.” _Maybe I’m worried for nothing_. 

“I have all day. But, before the movie, I wanted to talk to you about a few other things.”

They put their laptops down and she turned to Artie. Artie gathered her up in her arms. Quinn sighed and settled against her chest. 

“So, I was also thinking about us moving into a real apartment. You know I’m looking for a job through both departments and other offices. We could rent,” Artie suggested.

Quinn blinked. “You want to rent an apartment with me?” 

Artie laughed. “Yeah. We could find a nice little place that’s just for us for a couple of years.”

“A couple of years?” She supposed this made sense because Artie would need at least two years for both degrees. 

“Well, yeah. I’m sorry. I assumed you wanted to go to grad school, too. Was I wrong?” 

Quinn shook her head. “No, no, no. I do want to go to grad school.” It had not really been something she thought of, but Artie and her family inspired her. She wanted to further her education. It would be good in the long run.

“Here?”

“Well, yeah. But, I think we should wait on the real apartment. I mean, we wouldn’t be staying there all year. You know very well you’d have to go home during breaks. We’d be paying extra money for no reason.” 

Artie nodded. “You’re right about that. What about the job? You think I should still look for a job?”

“Yeah, then you can save up money. Maybe I should get one, too. We can save up together.” Maybe she could grow with Artie. 

Artie put her hand to her chin. “If you want one, then go ahead, but I’d rather you focus on your last year. Plus, you’ll have the school paper. I don’t want you to take on too much.”

Quinn moved and kissed her jaw. “You’re sweet. You’re always looking out for me and everyone else, always working hard for me and everyone else. Give me a chance to help out.” She needed Artie to understand that she didn’t have to do everything. Artie didn’t have to be superwoman for her. 

“All right. I’m glad we talked about this.” Artie held her a little tighter. She placed soft kisses to Quinn’s temple.

“Are you looking forward to us living together in a real place?” 

“Hell, yeah! It’s okay that we wait, but I do want that. A little apartment and then eventually as house.”

“Oh, yeah?” 

Artie laughed. “Yup. A nice house, too. Not one like where my family lives that’s small and cramped.”

This got a giggle out of Quinn. “That is a nice house, but you guys have shoved so many people in it that it seems small and cramped.”

A goofy smile settled on Artie’s face. “We did, didn’t we? Well, still, I want us to have space.” 

Quinn smiled. Artie saw a future with her. She had to remember that. Artie wasn’t going to throw her away when she graduated. Artie would always be there for her.

“Let’s watch that movie now,” Artie said, kissing her forehead.

Quinn nodded. “Let’s watch something you want to watch.” She wanted to always be there for Artie and to let Artie know that it was all right for her to have her way, too. 

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Artie graduates.


	41. Fast Forward

41: Fast Forward

Artie was about to graduate, but she didn’t see it as a big deal. It was the logical follow up to college, like the sun setting at the end of the day. Nothing special. Strange enough, the people she inherited this attitude from were treating as if it was something huge. She could hear her grandparents cheering as if they were right on top of her instead of somewhere in the vast ocean of guests.

When Artie walked across the stage and accepted her diploma, for the second time that day since she was a double major, she was certain her family were heard in the next town.  _I wonder if Nana and Granddad were this loud when Mom graduated college_. Something told her they cheered even louder. 

Stepping down off the stage, she couldn’t wait for the whole mess to be over. She only attended because Vega and Yvonne were also participating. They were the same reason she went to her high school graduation, which hadn’t been a big deal considering the fact she was the only one in her family to go. Her high school graduation wasn’t treated special because it was expected of her. It wasn’t worth anyone missing a day of school or work over. She didn’t understand why this was different. She was ready to tear her gown off as others threw their caps in celebration. 

Once she was able to, she rushed back to her family and had to suffer through dozens of pictures, which she expected. Her sisters passed her cap around while the adults hugged her, including Vega’s father. Quinn threw herself on Artie as soon as it was clear they wouldn’t be caught in a group hug.

The kiss was a given and passionate, but there was something off. Artie couldn’t put her finger on it, but the kiss seemed desperate. When Artie pulled away, Quinn smiled brightly at her, but it didn’t quite reach her beautiful chocolate eyes. In her eyes was devastation and sorrow. Artie only had to ponder what was wrong for a moment. 

“Hey, everyone, excuse me and Quinn for a second. We’ll be right back,” Artie informed her family. No one looked surprised or shocked, except for Quinn, who was tense.

“Don’t take too long. We’re going to lunch,” Andre said. 

“And I’m hungry,” Vega added, if only to get Artie to hurry.

“Us, too!” the twins chimed in, rubbing their stomachs. Tia just raised her hand to show she starved just like half of the group apparently.

Artie nodded and tugged Quinn away. She knew they needed to have this chat just because Quinn didn’t even ask what they were doing. Artie found them a relatively quiet and shady spot behind a nearby building. There wasn’t anyone around. 

“Princess, why do you look like I just killed your puppy?” Artie asked in a soft tone. She put her hand on Quinn’s hip, hoping the contact comforted Quinn a little. 

Quinn’s chin trembled and her eyes shined. “I’m so happy you graduated…” she sniffled.

“But?” Artie leaned down, touching their foreheads together. Using her thumb, she caressed Quinn’s shaking chin. 

“Okay, but you’re going to leave me,” Quinn whimpered, throwing her arms around Artie and hugging her close. Artie wasted no time returning the embrace and cradled the back of Quinn’s head in her left hand.

“No, Princess, that’s not true.” 

Quinn shook her head, burying it in Artie’s chest. “You’re growing up, expanding your horizons. You’ll want new experiences.”

“Baby, you are my new experience. I’m growing up because of you. You don’t have to be scared that I’m going anywhere. I’m not Thomas. Not even close. I’m so happy with you.”

“You say that now and then you’re going to have all of these new things around you when you find a job and you’ll meet all of these smart women in your grad courses or at your job and I’m just going to seem boring.”

Artie sighed. She didn’t make it a point to think about Quinn’s ex-boyfriend Thomas much, but she hated him right now. She hated that he left this mark on Quinn, but she hated herself for not being able to take it away. She had to do something. 

Artie rubbed Quinn’s back. “Remember when you told me about your dream of us in the future?”

“Uh-huh.” 

“I never told you mine.”

Quinn pulled back a little. “What?” she asked with a scrunched up face. 

“I never told you my vision of the future. I’ll try to make it short, so you don’t get bored. Wanna sit down with me for a second?”

Quinn nodded. They found a nearby bench and sat down. Artie pulled Quinn close to her, making sure they touching, and rubbed her shoulder. Quinn rested against her, but stared at the ground. 

“So, in the not so distant future, I see us living in an apartment together. It’s a fairly nice apartment in a decent neighborhood. We both hope that one day we’ll make enough money to buy a house in a better neighborhood. A big house because we’ll have a lot of visitors. We’ll have friends over every now and then. Vega and Tega come by a lot. Morgan comes by a lot, too, making sure I’m taking good care of you and teasing us about our relationship. We both have jobs in our chosen professions and we’re doing pretty good at what we do. We take vacations together at least once a year. We live either in Sutterford or close by, so the girls can visit. In my head, the twins don’t come by much because they’re in college, but Tia will practically live there because you’re there and she’ll think she’s so grown in high school, taking the bus by herself.”

Quinn chuckled. “Sounds accurate.” She cuddled into Artie a little more. Artie smiled and rubbed her shoulder a little more. 

“So far, so good?” Artie asked and Quinn nodded, so she decided to continue. “Every now and then, we take Juno and the Piglet out, just us. We go to the zoo, see the circus, and just play in the park. You sign them up for swimming classes while I sign them up for gymnastics, just for the heck of it. We help them with homework and Juno and I get into a little trouble whenever I help her do a science project. You want to know why we always leave such a mess. Eventually, I talk you into having a kid.”

Quinn arched an eyebrow. “You talk me into it?” 

Artie laughed and nodded. “Oh, yeah. It takes so much convincing,” she joked. 

Quinn pursed her lips. “How do you convince me?”

“Well, we’ll eventually talk about having a family. I’ll suggest adopting, but you’re going to tell me no.”

Quinn drew back slightly and studied Artie. “How do you know I wouldn’t want to adopt?”

“Because you’ve always wanted a family of your own and thought about it with Thomas,” she kind of chewed the name. “So, when I bring it up, your mind goes right to being pregnant and you know for a fact that I’m not carrying a baby.”

Laughing, Quinn rubbed Artie’s stomach. “No, I can’t see you doing that. I would want to carry the baby, you know?” 

Artie nodded. “I figured as much. I’ve pictured us going through a list of donors, trying to find someone suitable.”

“What do we decide on?” Quinn asked with a small smile, getting into the fantasy. 

“I’m no help really. I just make fun of stuff and say what the guy probably means by the stuff he put in his profile. I let you have your way since you’re going to be carrying the kid and you try to get someone close enough to me.”

Quinn nodded and absently caressed Artie’s abdomen. “Yeah, a baby should have some things in common with her father.” 

Artie smiled. “I dunno about all of that, but we find someone pretty close to me and you get pregnant with our first kid.”

“How many will we have eventually?”

“Two. It’s our compromise.” 

“Because you want a tribe and I don’t?” Quinn guessed.

Artie shrugged. “I’m used to a tribe. But, yeah, so you get pregnant. And, we talk about names. I want to get away from the gods and goddesses. So, I suggest other names, like Rafaela and Antonia for girls. And very simple names like John and Peter if we have a boy.” 

Quinn twisted up her nose, which Artie already figured would happen. “I like your theme names.”

“I know you do. You think we’re all so cute.” Artie made a face. She did not have anything against her and her sisters’ names, but she wasn’t into mythology like her grandfather was, so she didn’t see the point in continuing the names.

“You are,” Quinn insisted. “What about Minerva or Athena for a girl? We could call a boy Zeus!” 

Chuckling, Artie nodded. “I swear to you, in my head, you made the same argument.”

Quinn smiled and settled down. “What do we settle on in your head?” 

“In my head, we have a son and we name him Odin. I brag to everybody how I’m going to teach him how to be a man’s man and, of course, I make a muscle and you swat me. But, I promise you, you’ll never see a prouder papa.” A smile spread on Artie’s face and she felt an urge to kiss the top of Quinn’s head. She didn’t fight that urge and went for Quinn’s lips. It was just a little peck and she retreated before Quinn could kiss back.

“Does he call you that in your head?” Quinn asked curiously. 

Artie smiled, shaking her head. “I didn’t make it that far yet. I do know we move out of our apartment and we buy a house together. Everyone comes to celebrate with us, including your grandparents. They marvel over their latest great grandchild while my grandparents go on and on about how this is their first one.”

Quinn grinned and wrapped her arms around Artie’s waist, holding her tight. “You have put a lot of thought into this.”

“Because I plan to spend my life with you, Quinn. I’m not going anywhere. We’re in this together, so please stop worrying over this. I’m here and I’m going to be here.” Artie caressed Quinn’s cheek and then kissed her softly.

Tears gathered in Quinn’s eyes, but she smiled and played with the hair at the nape of Artie’s neck. “I’m sorry I keep thinking like this. I’m just scared of losing you. I want this detailed future you’ve dreamed up where we have good jobs, vacations, a house, and a family. I want this so much.”

Artie kissed her once more, another brief peck, and pulled her a little closer. “Then we’ll have it. You have to believe that more than you believe I’m leaving as soon as something new and shiny walks by. You are always my new and shiny thing. I know how special you are. Do you think just any woman is willing to sleep with me with the Piglet between us, kicking her in the ribs? No. You think any woman is willing to try to decipher what the hell the whole pantheon is trying to say at once? No. Do you think any woman would put up with my crazy schedule? No. Do you think any woman would put up with my mother and then work her down? No. You get me. You know how I am with my family. You know I’m working so hard for myself, for you, and for them. You know how I feel about you.” 

“I do. I just worry sometimes,” Quinn admitted, nuzzling Artie briefly. She continued playing with Artie’s hair.

“You don’t have to. I’m here.” 

“I know. I know. Congratulations on graduating, baby,” Quinn said and she moved to kiss Artie.

This time, Artie felt Quinn’s emotions and love in the kiss. She smiled when Quinn pulled back. Quinn smiled back and ran her hands through Artie’s short hair.

“Let’s go back. You know Vega and the twins have probably figured out who they’re going to eat if we don’t get to lunch soon,” Quinn joked.

“Oh, god, they’ve probably devoured Tia already,” Artie said. Quinn laughed and they rose, returning to the waiting group. Thankfully, Tia hadn’t been consumed yet. 

-8-8-8-8- 

Next time: it’s their anniversary!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Commercial break: I’m still peddling. My latest book, [Please Baby](http://www.amazon.com/Please-Baby-S-L-Kassidy/dp/1500125156/ref=la_B00MSCTFWC_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1441080489&sr=1-1), is available on Amazon as an ebook and paperback under the name S. L. Kassidy. Go check it out, please.


	42. Once Around

42: Once Around

A year. It had been a year since Artie and Quinn confessed their love to each other. Artie had been saving for this very moment for almost that long. This needed to perfect. Beyond perfect. Well, she did the best she could on the budget that she had.

“Where’d you get that suit from?” Anna asked as she watched Artie preparing for her night out with Quinn. Artie was in the bathroom, fixing her hair. She wore a new suit, light grey with a matching vest and a lilac tie in honor of Quinn’s favorite color. 

Artie flashed her mother a quick smile. “I bought it a little while ago.”

“You had money for that? You told the twins you couldn’t get them new uniform shirts for softball,” Anna pointed out with a disapproving shake of her head. 

Artie smiled again and shrugged. “Calm down, Mom. I didn’t lie to them. I said I _wouldn’t_ get them the shirts, not _couldn’t_. They need to start paying for some things to learn the value of money. It wasn’t that I couldn’t. I wanted to see if they would. They didn’t complain.” The teens were eager to show they could support themselves someway and thinking about it now made Artie sigh. They were growing up so fast.

Anna nodded. “Do you need money?” 

“No, Mom. I’ve been putting away for this for a long time. I worked hard for it, too.” She did many last minute papers to make sure she had more than enough to treat Quinn on their anniversary.

“I wish I had some advice to offer you,” Anna said with a sorrowful smile. “I’m glad your relationship is going so well, even though I know you didn’t have many good examples growing up.” 

“I’m glad you’ve come to grips with this.” Her mother seemed to bond with Quinn mostly in the kitchen. She allowed Quinn to help her make dinner often, if Quinn wanted to. She also allowed Quinn to observe her cooking when Quinn couldn’t really help. 

“I want you to be happy and she’s a good girl. She makes you happy and she makes the girls happy.”

“And she’s one of us.”

Anna only smiled. Artie figured her mother could accept Quinn because it was so obvious that Quinn wasn’t taking Artie away. Quinn was joining in. It was much easier to add to the household than to lose for Anna. 

“You look very handsome, Art,” Anna said.

Artie smiled. “Thanks, Mom.” She hoped Quinn thought so, too. 

-8-8-8-8- 

“I’m surprised you’re not wearing a dress, Quinn. I really thought you’d wear a pretty dress for your anniversary,” Venus commented. She was in the basement bedroom with Quinn, who was preparing for her night with Artie. Venus sat on the bed, observing.

“Artie’s seen me in dresses and skirts often. I wanted to change things up on her,” Quinn replied, looking in the mirror to fix her makeup. She had on white pants that clung to her hips and a shimmering purple shirt with a deep v-neck and no sleeves.

“But, shouldn’t you show a little leg?” Venus asked.

Quinn glanced at the teen and laughed. “What do you know about showing leg?” She knew Artie’s attention would be on her cleavage, wondering and waiting for her to just spill out of her shirt. While she was not busty by any stretch of the imagination, Quinn had never been happier to have a rather ample bosom because Artie enjoyed the swell of her breasts.

Venus smirked. “What, so you can tell Artie?”

Quinn scoffed and turned back to the mirror. “You’re lucky I don’t tell Artie a lot of things. Imagine what would happen if she knows you let a boy put his tongue in your mouth.”

Venus gasped and a look of horror settled on her face for a long moment. “Never tell her that! Ever! She must always think my first kiss is at my wedding.”

Quinn chuckled. “I’m sure she’ll do her best to hold onto that belief.”

“I hope so. Thanks for… you know… not telling her stuff.”

“It’s for her own protection, really,” Quinn joked and Venus laughed.

Venus got up off the bed and moved closer to Quinn. “Can you show me how to do that smoky look with my eyes?”

“Yes, but not today, my friend. Aphrodite still not interested in makeup?” Quinn suspected Aphrodite was more interested than she let on, but shied away from it for whatever reason. Quinn wasn’t sure if it had to do with Aphrodite trying to figure out if she was a lesbian or it had to do with the fact that the twins were dead set in proving themselves to be individuals to the point where Aphrodite would swear off makeup since Venus seemed interested.

Venus shrugged. “I don’t think Dite’s interested in much outside of baking and video games.”

“And softball.”

“Well, duh.” Venus chuckled. Softball was their end all be all.

Quinn finished her makeup and examined her face in the mirror. She had a few light freckles on her face that she used to cover up when she went out on dates, but knowing that Artie liked her freckles, she let them show. She wanted to make sure her lips begged to be kissed, though, so she applied her favorite glossy lipstick. Last but not least, she dabbed a little perfume behind her ears and on her wrists.

“Do you know what Artie has planned?” Venus asked.

“Nope, but I’m sure it’ll be like a dream come true. That’s just how she is,” Quinn answered as she slipped on her sandals. “You should try to find a man like her.”

Venus smiled, like she knew. Quinn loved what a good example Artie set for her sisters, even if it didn’t seem like it all the time. She thought back to Artie telling her the future Artie envisioned and the idea of them having a child. It fit Artie.

“Wow, you do look hot, even without the dress,” Venus commented, taking her away from her thoughts.

Quinn smiled. “Thanks.”

“Now, you make sure Art buys you dinner first and make her wear a condom,” Venus joked.

Quinn guffawed. “I’m going to tell her you said that one.” Sometimes, she wondered if Venus was entirely too comfortable around her.

“No! Please, don’t tell her.” Venus clasped her hands together and gave her a big-eyed look.

Quinn giggled as she grabbed her purse and they marched upstairs. Artie waited, surrounded by her other sisters. The girls were speaking a mile-a-minute, but Artie didn’t seem to notice as her eyes locked with Quinn’s. Quinn smiled as Artie’s gaze never failed to make her feel like the most attractive woman on the planet.

“You look as beautiful as ever, Princess,” Artie said as she presented Quinn with a single rose. 

Smiling, Quinn accepted the red rose as a blush burned her cheeks. “Thank you. You look dashing and very modern.” Except, of course, for her ever-present bowler hat, but that was expected since Artie almost always wore it when she dressed up.

“I dressed up just for you.” Artie ignored the horrible face Tia was making, even though she knew they were being too sappy for her sisters’ taste. She decided to spare them. “Shall we?” Artie offered her elbow. 

Quinn smiled and accepted Artie’s arm. They left after Artie threatened anyone who dared not to listen to their grandparents, which was of course unnecessary. The girls were more afraid of Tori than they were of anyone else in their family.

“So, where to, sweetheart?” Quinn asked as Artie opened the car door for her. 

“You’ll see,” Artie smiled. 

-8-8-8-8-

The drive was longer than expected thanks to traffic on the highway, but it gave them a chance to hold hands and talk. Artie stroked Quinn’s hand with her thumb while Quinn fiddled with her rose. Artie glanced over at her and smiled every few seconds.

“Have you spoken to your grandparents about your summer course?” Quinn asked. 

“Yeah, they were happy to hear it. They think it’s great that I’m getting a jump on my course work, so I let them know you’re the one that talked me into it and they think you’re an angel sent from heaven to keep my ass in line. I’m inclined to agree with the angel part.” 

Quinn laughed. “I’m glad they’re happy for you. I look forward to taking the ride with you.”

“Let’s get through this ride first.” 

Quinn nodded and they turned into the restaurant. It was lit up with all sorts of bright, white lights running around the eaves. There was a valet. Artie felt a little silly handing him the keys to a very outdated Corolla, but then she locked eyes with Quinn and the rest of the world didn’t matter. And when Quinn took her hand, showing no signs of anxiety over people staring at them, the world could’ve gone up in flames for all she cared.

Artie noticed the stares and she knew Quinn did as well, but they walked into the place with their heads held high. Artie had made the reservations almost a month ago and was happy there was no wait. The maître d’ walked them to their table, informing them of exclusive entrees for the night and leaving them with a wine list. The menus were already on the table. They both even smiled at people when Artie pulled out Quinn’s chair. 

“You think I should just tell them biologically I’m a woman?” Artie asked with a grin. She took off her hat and sat it to the side.

“Nah, fuck it. Let ‘em guess,” Quinn answered, waving them off. “This is our night.” 

“Yes, it is.”

“This is a really nice restaurant,” Quinn commented as she looked around. 

“It’s one of the top restaurants around here. I looked it up. Nothing but the best for you tonight.” 

Quinn smiled. Artie meant it, though. Quinn was free to order what she wanted and Artie got them a bottle of wine, even though she didn’t know much about wine. Thankfully, the waiter helped her out. He was cool, so she decided to tip him well when the time came.

“You’re a lifesaver, dude,” Artie whispered to the waiter while Quinn was preoccupied with the menu. 

“Hey, I brought my girlfriend here for a date once when I just got on the job and didn’t know much about anything either, so I know how it can be,” he replied in a low voice. “Lemme know whatever you need.”

Artie nodded and smiled. He patted her on the back before walking off to get their wine. When he came back, he recommended dishes for them. Artie knew what she wanted, but let him go through everything before ordering salmon. Quinn ordered a chicken dish. 

“For dessert, you need to get one slice of chocolate cake,” the waiter whispered to Artie as he brought their food.

“Is it that good?” Artie asked out of the corner of her mouth. 

“Sinful. Trust me, just watching her eat it makes it worth it,” he replied. 

Artie nodded, taking his advice. He left and she and Quinn talked a bit while they ate. When they were done, Artie ordered one slice of chocolate cake. She needed to see what the waiter was talking about.

“Should we exchange gifts now?” Quinn asked.

“If you want, but we have plenty of time for that,” Artie replied, finishing off her wine. It was her second glass. She felt like she could learn to like wine.

Quinn nodded. “Should you keep drinking wine if you have more planned?” she teased. “Will I have to drive us home and watch you fall asleep?” 

Artie chuckled. “Trust me, that is the last thing you will need to worry about.”

Quinn didn’t have a chance to reply as their dessert arrived. It was probably the most decedent piece of cake Artie had ever seen in her life. The cake oozed with chocolate sauce, chocolate chips, and crumbled cookies. Artie was fairly certain she felt lightheaded when Quinn took the first bite. Chocolate dribbled down the corner of her mouth and Artie damn near leaned over the table to lick it off. She had to have some self-control. They were in a rather elegant restaurant, after all. By the second bite, Artie wished she did pass out.

“How’s it going? Can I get you anything else?” the waiter asked. 

“You, my friend, are possibly the most awesome waiter I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet,” Artie commented, eyes locked on Quinn.

He chuckled. “I told you.” 

“Yeah, so we’re good. You can bring us the check,” Artie said, eyes refusing to leave Quinn. “And maybe a bucket. I think I’m drooling.”

He nodded and chuckled again before stepping away. Artie continued to focus on Quinn. Quinn smirked at her, obviously knowing what she was doing. Slowly breaking off a piece, Quinn fed Artie some cake. She owed that waiter a huge tip. He came back with the bill and she pressed some money into his hand.

“Dude, you are awesome. If I ever start dating guys, I’m coming here and marrying you,” Artie joked. 

“If you lose her, I think you’re too much of an idiot to marry,” he replied with a grin. “And thanks.”

“No, thank you.” She doubted he was tipped fifty bucks every day for two people. He was a huge help, though. 

“You and the waiter seem to have bonded. Do you know him?” Quinn asked curiously.

Artie smiled. “I do now. Are you finished trying to make sure I’m sitting in a puddle? Because, I can assure you, it was mission accomplished on first bite.” She nodded toward the cake. There was a couple of bites left.

Smiling, Quinn fed Artie one bite and then ate the last for herself. Artie took her by the hand and led Quinn out. Quinn looked around as they started walking away from the valet stand.

“Artie, the car is back that way.” Quinn pointed behind them. 

“I know, but there’s another reason why I picked this place beyond the great reviews.” Artie led her to a path that was overgrown with plants and flowers; it was like walking through a garden. It probably was really nice during the day, being able to see the colors of the flowers and everything. They walked down a few stairs and then came to a line of horse drawn carriages.

“Oh, my god,” Quinn gasped. 

“You can only ride in them if you make a reservation. I figured we could exchange gifts on the ride,” Artie suggested with a smile.

Quinn grinned and nodded. They walked down the line until they got to a man holding a small white board with Artie’s name on it. He tipped his hat to them and tried to help Quinn into the carriage. Artie glared him down. He wisely backed off.

Artie helped Quinn into their carriage and they were off for a romantic ride around the gardens. There was a lit fountain as well. The night was quiet beyond the buzz of a few insects and the clump of the horse’s hooves. Quinn clutched Artie’s arm, moving close to her. Artie reached into her pocket. 

“So, is this a good time to give you your present?” Artie asked.

“Truthfully, this could’ve been it and I’d be more than happy,” Quinn replied, nuzzling Artie.

“Well, there’s more than this.” Artie handed Quinn a jewelry box.

“Artie,” Quinn breathed.

“Open it.” 

Quinn nodded and opened the box. Slowly, she pulled out a gold chain and noticed the feather quill dangling in the middle. She held it close to her face to examine the charm of white gold in the feather and the small diamond at the tip of the quill.

“Artie, it’s beautiful. Please, put it on me.” Quinn turned, so her back was to Artie and pulled her hair over her shoulder. Artie wasted no time slipping it on and setting the clasp. Her necklace now shared space with the necklace Tia purchased Quinn for Christmas. Artie felt like it was appropriate. 

Artie kissed Quinn’s neck. “There you go.”

“Thank you.” 

Quinn settled against Artie again, holding her necklace with one hand while her other was wrapped around Artie. Artie smiled, happy that Quinn was so pleased with her gift. After a few minutes, Quinn released her necklace and pushed herself up to kiss Artie’s lips.

“Your turn,” Quinn said and opened her purse. “I don’t know if you’re going to like it, but I feel like it covers where I want us to go.” She pulled out a jewelry box. 

Artie craned an eyebrow. She didn’t wear jewelry beyond piercing that she didn’t even have anymore. But, when she opened it, her heart jumped. It was a simple bracelet made of braided, brown leather bands, but they were linked by three sterling silver infinite symbols. She gazed down at Quinn. 

“I want us together forever,” Quinn said.

“I’ll never take it off,” Artie promised and she handed it to Quinn. “Put it on me please.”

Quinn smiled and did as Artie asked. As soon as the bracelet was secure, Artie leaned down and kissed Quinn deeply. Quinn didn’t hesitate in returning the show of affection. The way Quinn kissed her made want to cut the carriage ride short, but they had to go all the way around. They ended up making out in the carriage, though. The driver didn’t even seem bothered by it, like it happened everyday, which it probably did for him. By the end, Artie nearly dragged Quinn back to the car. 

“Where to now?” Quinn whispered into Artie’s ear as Artie pulled off.

“Some place private,” Artie replied, shifting in her seat. She felt like if she hit a bump in the car, she might peak. 

“So, not home then?”

“Definitely not home.” 

“Then where?”

“A surprise.” Artie smiled. It was a very short drive and they pulled into the parking lot of hotel. She made sure it was a classy place, like somewhere they would stay if they were on vacation. Of course, this was like a vacation.

Quinn’s mouth dropped open. “Artie, you got us a hotel room?” 

“I wanted you all to myself tonight.”

“I feel the same way.”

The hotel wasn’t much, but it was better than most places that Artie stayed. They went to the room, finding it to be rather average. Quinn glanced down curiously at a duffle bag that Artie had pulled out of the trunk and brought with them. It was all part of the surprise.

“All right, Artie, fess up. What’s in the bag?” Quinn asked, sitting down on their bed. 

“Just some supplies. We’re here for the next two days and I really don’t want to leave the room,” Artie answered.

Quinn arched an eyebrow. “Can we afford that?” 

“If we couldn’t, I wouldn’t be doing it. So, let’s get to business.” Artie leaned down and kissed Quinn.

“Wait, two days? I don’t have clothes,” Quinn realized. 

“In the bag. I packed for you. It’s fine.”

Quinn nodded and Artie kissed her again. One year. It had been one year since they first said “I love you” and it felt like their love had grown. Artie hoped that would always be the case. 

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: there’s a birthday… or birthdays.


	43. Growing Pains

43: Growing Pains

Artie’s birthday was coming up and Quinn knew from last year that it wasn’t a huge event amongst the Brenner family, which shocked her. Last year, Artie got a total of four gifts and Anna bought a cake. Anna didn’t even bake it. She literally went out to a store and bought the cake. That was the extent of Artie’s birthday celebration. Just not something she would expect from this family for anyone, but especially Artie. 

Maybe things were low-key because Artie disappeared for a while during the day, but it was strangely unremarkable. Like the day didn’t even matter. They saved all of their big party spirits for three days later when it was Tia’s birthday.

Quinn was amused as she watched Tia strut around the house for the month of June, head held up and chin stuck out. Why the strut? Well, her birthday was close to Artie’s and this was a big deal in the house. At least to Tia anyway. 

Of course, this behavior made Quinn wonder why no one did anything really special for Artie’s birthday. They had even done something special for her birthday. If Tia walked around like the “big man on campus” just because her birthday was almost on the same day as Artie’s, then why was there no huge celebration?

“What’re you so happy about, short stuff?” Aphrodite teased Tia as they all gathered for breakfast. School was over, but they all still woke up early because they usually had summer activities.

Tia’s large grin didn’t falter. “Birthday,” she simply answered. Her birthday was in two days, but it might as well have been today and someone might as well have gifted her the moon from the way she smiled. 

“So? You know Artie has class on your birthday,” Venus chimed in.

“Yeah, she won’t be able to be here until late,” Aphrodite said.

Tia’s gigantic grin was crushed. The twins bordered on cruel with her right now. Quinn swooped in to fix the impending, massive heartbreak because Artie was too busy trying to get Juno to sit down and eat to notice what just happened. Quinn came and took Tia by the shoulders, pulling her into the living room. She was just in time because as soon as they hit the living room, tears slid down Tia’s pale cheeks.

“Artie hates me, huh?” Tia asked through sniffles. 

Quinn’s eyes went wide. “What? No, of course.”

“She’s always yelling at me and I always get in trouble and now she’s gonna miss my birthday,” Tia cried, her shoulders shaking through her wails. 

Quinn pulled her in for a hug, hoping to calm her down. “No, sweetie, that’s not true.” She rubbed Tia’s surprisingly defined shoulders.  _God, how can soccer do that to a kid?_

“She hates me. They all hate me.” Tia hiccuped.

“No, they don’t. They love you. Artie loves you and she’s not going to miss your birthday. Yes, she has class that day, but it’s only for the afternoon. She’ll be back in time for your party.”

“But, she’s not going to do our super-special birthday lunch,” Tia moaned. 

Quinn’s face scrunched up.  _Super-special birthday lunch?_  She didn’t know what that was. Last year, she had class on Tia’s birthday and had only made it back in time to see the party in the backyard with all of Tia’s friends. It seemed like it was a successful, fun gathering with plenty of presents and great food, but this wasn’t what Tia was having a problem with.

“I’m sure Artie has it all worked out. Don’t listen to the twins. You know they just say things like that to bother you,” Quinn said.

“They’re so mean,” Tia complained, rubbing one eye roughly with the heel of her hand. 

“They’re just teasing. It’s something older siblings do sometimes.” Quinn knew that for a fact. She also knew that while the twins enjoyed bugging Tia, they wouldn’t dare let anyone else do it, which put them ahead of Quinn’s own siblings. She assumed the twins would grow out of it as they grew up, considering they had grown into it as they became “real” teenagers.

Tia shook her head almost frantically. “No, they’re mean and Artie’s not gonna do my lunch because she hates me.” 

Quinn sighed. She felt like no amount of words would change Tia’s mind about it. Artie needed to do something. So, after holding Tia until she stopped crying, she watched the girl retreat to the bedroom she shared with Juno and Diana. She could understand how Tia felt, just looking at the circumstances. She needed to help.

Once Artie was done with breakfast, she released the younger kids into the backyard while the twins went for softball practice and then to hang out with friends. Quinn thought it was the best time to talk to her about Tia. They sat on the back steps while Juno and Diana rode their bikes in the small space and around the driveway. 

“You know Tia’s upset, right?” Quinn asked.

Artie’s face twisted. “About what?” 

“Something called a super-special birthday lunch.”

Artie’s face didn’t change. “Why’s she upset about that?” 

“She doesn’t think it’s going to happen.”

Artie scratched her head. “Why does she think that?” 

Quinn shook her head. She was somewhat astonished at the things Artie missed considering some of the things Artie caught when it came to her sisters. But, then again, it was hard trying to keep up with five girls.

“The twins told her you have class and you’re not going to take her,” Quinn replied. 

Artie scoffed. “I’m going to box their ears if they don’t stop picking on her. They’re teaching her bad behavior.”

Quinn arched an eyebrow. “What do you mean?” 

“They pick on her and she thinks its okay to do the same. She doesn’t do it as much, but she’s starting to pick on the Piglet. I’ll talk to them, but first I’m going to talk to my little glasses buddy.”

Quinn smiled. “She really admires you, you know?” 

“I know.”

Quinn assumed from the short response that Artie would handle things. “So, what’s this super-special birthday lunch?” 

“It started when Tia was about three. She told me we were birthday buddies because our birthdays were so close and I thought that was so cute. I agreed with her and said birthday buddies need to do stuff together then on their birthdays.”

Quinn scratched her chin. “Wait, when you vanished on your birthday, you were hanging out with Tia?” She remembered wondering where Artie was for the afternoon and no one would give her a straight answer when she asked. They just told her “don’t worry about it.” She assumed they had distracted Artie for a surprise, but she was wrong. 

Artie laughed. “Yeah. We always hang out. She’s my birthday buddy. This is why I don’t get why she thinks we won’t hang out. We always do and we always will.”

“You should go tell her. I can watch Bug and Piglet.”

Artie nodded and gave Quinn a kiss on the cheek before retreating into the house. Quinn focused on the youngest pair while thinking about how adorable it was that Artie and Tia were “birthday buddies.” Artie never ceased to amaze her.

-8-8-8-8-

Artie found Tia curled up on her top bunk. She’d recently helped Tia hang some sheets over her bed, giving it kind of a tent feel and allotting her a sense of privacy and giving her a little space of her own. Artie knocked on the side of the bed. She didn’t want to intrude, but she didn’t get an answer.

“Tia, I heard you’re upset,” Artie said. 

“I’m not. You can go away,” Tia mumbled.

“Okay, I will, but I was just wondering if you wanted to go to Build-a-Burger for our birthday lunch or that pizza place we went last year for my birthday. That pizza place was good.” She and Tia liked trying any eatery that allowed them to build their own junk food. They created “monsters,” as they liked to call them. 

“We’re not going.”

Artie threw on an exaggerated pout. “Not going? Why aren’t we going? I wanted to build a burger and just who am I supposed to build a burger with?” 

“Go build a burger with Quinn!” Tia hissed. “You love her more than me, right?”

Artie blinked; she hadn’t expected that. “Is this about Quinn? Are you mad that I spend time with Quinn?” 

“You’re going to class with her, right?”

“Well, no actually. I’m not going to class. We’ve got a lunch date. Tia, we’re birthday buddies. I’m never going to stand you up on your birthday.” 

Tia poked her head out of her tent. Her eyes were red and her face was flushed. Artie resisted the urge to reach out and touch Tia’s forehead. She feared the girl might have cried herself into a fever.

“But, you have class,” Tia hiccuped. 

“But, I’m not going. I’m going to hang out with you, buddy. So, where are we going?” Artie inquired with a half-smile.

The girl sniffled and rubbed her nose with the back of her hand. “You sure?” 

“I am sure. I found the new spot to try, after all. You know you wanna go build a burger with me,” Artie said with a smile and she poked Tia’s cheek.

“Just us?” 

“Of course, just us! Nobody else is my birthday buddy!”

Tia gave her a watery smile. “So… you don’t hate me?” 

Artie frowned.  _Is that what Tia thinks?_  ”Kiddo, I could never hate you. I love you. I love you so much.”

Tia took a long sniffle. “Then how come you always yell at me?” 

Sighing, Artie stroked her sister’s cheek. “Sometimes you do things that aren’t good, but that doesn’t mean I love you less. I just want you to do better. I don’t want you to throw a tantrum when you can’t win games. I want you to practice and get better, so you can win. I don’t want you throwing stuff at your little sisters when they do something to annoy you. I want you to talk to them and tell them to stop.”

“I do and they don’t! And then you yell at me!” Tia pointed to herself. 

Artie reached up and ran a hand through Tia’s blond locks. “You’re older, so you should know better. I expect more from you because you’re older.”

“You don’t yell at the twins when they bother me.”

Artie sighed, feeling like Tia was probably right. The twins were sneaky with their antics. They bothered Tia when Artie wasn’t around or when the younger girls distracted her. Artie would definitely get on their case more, though. She didn’t like what they were teaching Tia. 

“I need you to worry about you, Tia. You have to get better for you, okay? You’re getting older and I don’t want to have to worry about you,” Artie said.

Tia pouted. “You don’t have to worry.” 

“You have to show me that. I know you can be awesome because I’ve seen you be just that a bunch of times. So, let me see your awesome side more often, okay?”

Tia nodded. “I don’t mean to be mean to Piglet and Bug. Sometimes, they just annoy me.” 

“I know. But, you have to learn how to deal with it.”

Tia pouted, but she didn’t disagree. Artie caressed her head again. She wondered if all of her sisters’ growing pains would be like this. She had to worry about Venus dating, Aphrodite confused about her sexuality, and now Tia. She hated to think what would happen in a few years with Juno and Diana. But, for now, she would focus on her birthday buddy.

So, along with going to lunch to build their own burgers, Artie also took Tia out for mini-golf and a movie. They ended up being late for Tia’s birthday party in a nearby park, but Tia didn’t care. Artie made a mental note to do more with Tia, especially on their special days together.

-8-8-8-8- 

Next time: Quinn’s grandparents show up to hang out with the couple.


	44. Other Family

44: Other Family

The summer passed similar to last year’s summer. The twins and Tia had sports to keep them occupied. They also had an educational summer program they attended. Artie signed Juno and Diana up for day camp. This gave Artie and Quinn time to be together, especially once their summer classes were over. They hung out with Vega and Yvonne plenty. 

Quinn saw Vega’s father’s resort for the first time. It was an impressive place with tons of summer activities for the guests. Quinn got to go horseback riding and hiking for the first time while there. She was not a fan of the hiking, but swimming in the lake at the resort was fun. It even hosted a writer’s workshop that Vega kindly got Quinn into for free. Of course, Vega was completely gruff about it and made it sound like Artie owed her a favor for it. 

They also did things with the girls. They went to the movies every couple of weeks for summer blockbusters. They took Juno and Diana to the zoo. They went to a few fairs and museums. There were a couple of sessions of mini-golf and just running around in the park. Swimming was a big thing with all of the girls, so they went to the pool as often as they could. Quinn and Artie also took a few opportunities to take Tia out on her own, including a go-cart track, which was another first for Quinn.

It was a good summer. Returning to school was a bit disappointing because the summer was so nice. There were the expected tears and long goodbyes.

“They make me feel guilty when we have to leave,” Quinn commented as she and Artie piled into the car. School started in a few days and they needed to settle into their apartment.

“They make me feel guilty about everything,” Artie remarked as she pulled away from the house. She looked into the rear view mirror, seeing the girls all in the street, waving at them. Artie smiled and Quinn did the same. Rolling down the windows, they stuck their hands out of the car for a final farewell.

“Do you think they all know they have you wrapped around their little finger?” Quinn gave a half-smirk and an arched eyebrow. 

Artie chuckled. “I dunno. Do you know?”

Quinn could feel her cheeks heat up. She wouldn’t say she had Artie wrapped around her little finger. Yes, she knew if she asked for anything, Artie would deliver it to her if humanly possible, but it wasn’t like she went out of her way to ask for things. She didn’t feel like she could get away with anything with Artie, but then again, the pantheon probably didn’t feel that way either.

“I guess it’s a pretty well-kept open secret then,” Artie remarked. 

Quinn didn’t say anything. She just stuck her tongue out at Artie, who laughed. When they made it to school, they were in for a surprise at their front door. All of Quinn’s grandparents were there.

“What are you guys doing here?” Quinn squealed with a grin as she threw herself upon them, trying to hug as many of them as possible. She told them in an earlier phone call when she and Artie were going to move in, but she didn’t think they’d use the information. 

“We wanted to see you, but you’re always busy. We figured, you wouldn’t be busy right now since school hasn’t started,” Cliff told her with a smile.

“We’ll help you unpack and then we figured we could all go to a lunch or something,” Lois added, motioning to the whole group.

Quinn was about to nod, but glanced back at Artie. She knew Artie believed her grandparents were avoiding meeting her, so she wasn’t sure how Artie would take the surprise. Artie nodded and Quinn hoped things went well. 

“Sounds good!” Quinn agreed to lunch. It would give her grand parents and Artie a chance to get to know each other.

Her grandparents all smiled, but she noticed Artie wasn’t quite as enthused. She guessed Artie just needed to see that her grandparents didn’t mean any harm and also that her grandparents weren’t judging Artie. Maybe Artie would come to understand that as her grandfathers volunteered to help bring things up.

Quinn and her grandmothers went into the apartment to unpack what Artie already brought up and straighten out the apartment. Babs and Lois didn’t appear very impressed with the apartment, but Quinn didn’t expect them to be. It was a tiny little college place, after all. 

“This is what we’re paying for? I expected it to have at least a bigger living room,” Babs commented with a frown.

“How does Artie even fit in here?” Lois remarked. 

“Grandma, Nana, don’t, please,” Quinn requested, feeling like they were about to start judging Artie.

“What?” Lois asked as she and Babs exchanged a look of innocence. 

“I think you should have a larger space for the price of the place. We’re all being ripped off here,” Babs sighed, throwing up her hands.

“I’m sure you could get a better space off campus for the same price,” Lois added, looking around. She shook her head.

“Yeah, except it’s off campus, making it further away from any of my classes and further still from Artie’s free gym time. Trust me, you do not want to get between Artie and the gym,” Quinn joked.

“Believe me, with those muscles, we expected as much,” Babs said with a light chuckle. “What is with her and the muscles anyway? Does she realize it makes her look manly?” 

“Yes, she does,” Artie answered as she came through the door with a heavy load in her brawny arms.

Babs went red as a tomato. “I’m sorry, Artie. I didn’t mean any disrespect.” 

“No, totally fine to talk about me behind my back,” Artie replied as she put down the boxes.

Quinn quickly rushed over to her lover. “Baby, please. My grandmother didn’t mean anything by it. They’re just joking here.”

Artie sighed, but she didn’t say anything. She turned around and went to retrieve more items. Her grandfathers came in after Artie disappeared. From that point on, her grandparents didn’t say anything about Artie. They talked about her last year of school and her plans after graduation.

“I guess those muscles aren’t just for show,” Cliff chuckled, clapping Artie on the back once they finished moving everything in. 

“No, they’re not,” Artie replied plainly.

Her grandfathers laughed a little more, maybe hoping to make things less awkward. Artie didn’t appear amused. Quinn sighed and took Artie’s hand, squeezing it. Sighing, Artie squeezed back. Quinn just hoped her grandparents didn’t make matters worse at lunch and she hoped Artie actually tried to get along with them. 

-8-8-8-8-

When they pulled up to a restaurant, Quinn urged her grandparents to go in and get a table. Quinn wanted to talk to Artie for a moment. Once they were alone, she pulled Artie back into the car.

“Princess, what are you doing?” Artie asked. 

“Baby, I know my grandparents make you tense and you think they don’t like you, but I need you to go in there and be yourself. I need you to not judge them and you’ll see that they like you,” Quinn assured her.

Artie scoffed. “They don’t like me.”

“They do! Baby, I talk to them at least once a week and I tell them about you and they like you. You just have to give them a chance. They’ve been trying to engage you, but they just…” Quinn sighed, shaking her head. “I know they say stuff that sounds judgmental and mean, but they don’t mean it like that. They’re just curious about you and aren’t entirely sure how to approach you. I promise you, they like you.”

Artie sighed once more, but she nodded. Quinn gave her a little kiss to lift her spirits and they exited the car. They entered the restaurant, discovering her grandparents had already been seated. They went to the table and there was a tense silence for a moment. A waiter came, leaving menus behind. For a moment, Quinn was scared everyone would just hide behind their meals, but her granddaddy broke the silence.

“So, Artie, Quinn tells us that you’re going to for your masters,” Cliff said. 

“Dual masters, yes,” Artie answered.

“That’s impressive. So, are you focusing on both at the same time or…” Cliff trailed off, as if to let Artie fill in the blank. 

“One and then the other. I don’t want to spread myself too thin and it’s easier to keep track of things focusing on one degree and then the next,” Artie answered, almost as if this were an interview.

Quinn hoped her girlfriend relaxed a little as she figured out Quinn’s grandparents were only trying to get to know her. Quinn patted Artie’s knee. Artie put her hand on top of Quinn’s and caressed Quinn’s ring finger with her own. It was a little strange, but it kept Artie calm, so that was fine. 

“What are you planning to do for a living?” Lois inquired. 

“Therapist and hopefully a counselor,” Artie answered.

Roger nodded. “That’s a good goal. What made you want to be a therapist?” 

Artie scratched her head. Quinn often wondered the same thing, but Artie could never properly explain it beyond her wanting to help people sort themselves out. Quinn suspected it had something to do with Artie’s mother, but she never brought it up.

“It’s just something she’s always wanted to do. Kind of like me and writing,” Quinn chimed in. 

“Have you read some of our little Quinn’s work? Her mysteries are my favorite. I never can guess whodunit,” Babs spoke up with a grin.

Artie laughed. “I have read them and I tend to guess whodunit by the middle of the book. She hates that I can do that.” 

“At least someone can figure it out,” Roger said with a smile while shaking his head. 

“It’s horrible and annoying,” Quinn pretended to huff. “I’m going to stump her one day. My first novel is going to be one where Artie hasn’t guessed the criminal at the end.”

Babs chuckled. “Well, I wish you luck with that, kiddo.”

Artie smiled at Quinn. “You know it’s not going to happen, right? Once you introduce all the suspects, I’ll know.”

Sticking her tongue out at Artie, Quinn then turned her attention to her grandparents. “Are you only here for today?” 

“We wanted to play it by ear,” Roger answered.

“We want to spend some time with you, but we don’t want to intrude,” Babs explained. 

Quinn glanced at Artie, not sure if they would be intruding or not. She was saved from having to say anything as the waiter came back and took their drink orders. When the waiter left, the conversation moved on. Things flowed fairly easily and Quinn was happy they were able to order their meals without any more tension rising. Eventually, her grandfathers brought up a topic that Quinn thought they’d avoid.

“So, Artie, what’s with the muscles?” Cliff asked as their food was brought to them. 

Artie raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“Well, you’re quite muscular,” Roger jumped in. “More than you’d expect of a… bookworm.” It was almost a good cover. They knew enough about Artie’s education to know she was just that, but it was clear he wanted to say something else, especially since he glanced away before finishing the thought. 

Quinn groaned. Everything had been going so well. Artie had even relaxed. Now, she had to hope Artie didn’t take this the wrong way. 

“I’m into weightlifting, bodybuilding, and exercise. I’m proud of my body and want to keep it this way,” Artie answered simply. Quinn was proud that Artie didn’t seem offended.

“But, you have a very soft, cute face,” Babs said. Quinn thought that was an odd thing to say, but Artie seemed to get it. 

Artie nodded before taking a bite of her sandwich. “I do and it used to piss me off. I want to be seen as hard, like my body is. This is just the way I want to look. I don’t mind my face now, especially since Quinn likes it, but that wasn’t always the case.” 

“Why would that piss you off? You’re a beautiful girl,” Lois said.

Artie chuckled and she blushed a little. Quinn relaxed and smiled, too. She felt like Artie had warmed to her grandparents. Artie just waved off the question, which Quinn thought was a good call. Yes, her grandparents liked Artie, but she doubted they were ready to hear how Artie considered herself a boy up until a few years ago. She didn’t think her grandparents would understand Artie’s gender issues. The discussion shifted to other topics. By the end of lunch, they all seemed to be getting long. The bill came and Roger and Cliff argued over who would pay. 

“I’ve got this,” Artie insisted, reaching for her wallet.

“No, no, no. Absolutely not. You save all of your money for taking care of our granddaughter,” Roger replied, waving her off.

Artie chuckled. “I can do that and pay for lunch.” 

“No, I’ve got this,” Roger said. “Cliff, you’ll get us for dinner.”

“So, you’re going to stick around?” Artie asked.

“You’re interesting, Artie. We’d like to get to know the woman who is taking care of Quinn, especially at this point in her life,” Babs replied. 

“We’re do our best not to intrude, but surely you can spare us one day. We’ll promise to behave,” Lois said with a smile.

Quinn understood they were worried about her now that she’d been disowned. Artie seemed to get it, too, because she agreed. Artie was on her best behavior and entirely friendly for the two days that Quinn’s grandparents stuck around.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: the couple plays hooky to go see someone’s first day at school.


	45. First Day

45: First Day 

“You wanna take off from school?” Artie asked in a bit of a teasing tone. They were cuddled on the couch, a show on TV watching them. Quinn had practically burrowed into her side earlier and didn’t seem to have any intentions of coming out.

“Baby, I don’t have class today,” Quinn pointed out. It was the weekend. 

Artie smiled. “I know, but do you want to get out of here for today and tomorrow?” They didn’t have class on Monday until in the afternoon. While Artie had found a job, she didn’t start for another week, so they had the time.

Quinn arched an eyebrow. “Why? What’s going on tomorrow?” 

“You’ll see. We need to go home, though. Do you want to?”

“As long as we get back in time for class. I can’t miss class the second week in.”

“Neither can I. We’ll be back. I promise.”

Artie’s grin got bigger as Quinn eyed her with a cocked eyebrow and a half-smirk. Artie was happy this was going to be a surprise. She thought one of the twins would’ve blown it by now or even Diana herself. Her namesake was so excited that she was shocked the child could keep it quiet. This let Artie know how much she wanted it to be a surprise.

Artie made sure to dawdle after Quinn agreed to go home. She wanted to get there late. The girls were all getting ready for bed. Diana had already been put to sleep by Anna before she left for work. Artie smirked. That worked perfectly.

-8-8-8-8-

The house was the usual asylum Quinn had come to love in the morning, except for one new thing. Diana wore a school uniform and seemed be modeling it as she strolled around the kitchen. It dawned on Quinn why Artie wanted to come home. It was Diana’s first day of school!

“Oh, my god, the Piglet starts kindergarten,” Quinn gasped, putting her hand over her mouth.

“Yup, and we’re all going to go wish her well,” Artie said. “And then Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum here need to get off for their first day of high school.” She jabbed her thumb at the twins, who were not in uniform for the first time in their school careers.

Quinn was used to seeing them in their own causal gear, so their clothes didn’t surprise her. Venus was in her near preppy clothes of yellow button-down shirt and black skirt. Aphrodite was dressed in long black shorts with a pair of chains dangling at her side, a tank top with a monstrous smiley face on it and flannel shirt with the sleeves torn off. Hopefully, they didn’t have any classes together, so they could go back to being individuals.

Tia and Juno were in their school uniforms. Tia had on new glasses, which looked very much like Artie’s new glasses. They were black frames that matched her uniform pants.

“Tia, when did you get new glasses?” Quinn asked as they all set out of the door.

“The Bug stepped on my old ones,” Tia snorted through her nose. “She didn’t even get in trouble. Mommy said it was an accident, but it wasn’t. Nana took me to get these yesterday.”

Quinn smiled a bit and rubbed her shoulder. “Artie has the same pair. I can’t get her to wear them like you do, though.”

Tia chuckled. “Because Artie’s bad.”

“Yes, she is,” Quinn agreed, giving her girlfriend a wink.

“I’m allowed to be bad. My eyes aren’t as bad as someone else’s,” Artie retorted.

“It’s because she always tries to sit in the back of the class,” Aphrodite said.

“We keep telling her to keep her seat in the front. Having a ‘B’ last name is good for a front seat,” Venus added.

“But, people with worse eyes than me don’t have glasses and they need to sit in the front,” Tia argued.

“But, the front seat is the good seat. You can see the work on the board the best. It helps you understand, so you can pass your tests,” Juno actually lectured Tia. Quinn couldn’t help snickering at this.

“I’m doing just fine on my tests. My grades are really good,” Tia proclaimed, puffing out her chest. That much was true. None of the Brenner girls brought home poor grades. “So, I don’t need to sit in the front to get good grades.”

“Or you could be getting even better grades,” Aphrodite pointed out. It was said in an insulting way, but not as nasty as the twins usually were.

“Yeah, you’re slacking on your education,” Venus teased.

“But, your education is ‘portant! Nana said so,” Diana chimed in. All of the sisters laughed at this.

Spirits were high for the first day of school, but then again, Quinn knew all of these girls loved learning. They held their education in high esteem. Diana looked forward to it the most and she talked the whole fifteen-minute walk.

“Nana got’ed me a noted book and I’m gonna show the teacher I can spell my name and I’m gonna do coloring and I’m gonna make friends!” Diana said, bouncing as they walked. She wasn’t even talking to any of them, just running down a long list of why school was going to be awesome and the things her grandparents bought her for this very special occasion.

Her excitement was funny because Diana had already been to pre-k. Of course, the pre-k hadn’t been at her sisters’ school because that started at kindergarten. Apparently, Diana didn’t think of it as “real school.” This was real school, with her sisters.

“I hope our high school is as cool as she thinks kindergarten is going to be,” Aphrodite remarked.

“I’m sure if you still had her enthusiasm, it would be,” Artie retorted.

When they got to the school, the campus didn’t surprise Quinn. Considering the tuition, she expected it to be a nice place. It probably could and did hold about four thousand students across all grade levels. There were a few buildings, but there were connected by closed corridors. There were fields for soccer, baseball, and football as well as a couple of playground areas. The sisters and Quinn all went to the building at the far end.

Inside looked like a regular school. The halls were clean and wide, a dark red line divided the hall, there were bulletin boards lining the walls, and children wandered through, undoubtedly searching for their classes. Artie had no problem taking Diana where she needed to go.

“Hey, this was my kindergarten class, too!” Tia realized and she ducked her head inside. “Hey, Ms. Danders is still the teacher, too! Hi, Ms. Danders!” Tia waved.

The teacher walked to the door. She appeared to be in her early thirties with warm green eyes. She was dressed in a floral print dress, the skirt past her knees, and a light sweater on top. She smiled.

“Hello, there Tia. I’m actually Mrs. Wells now. I’ve been married for two years,” the teacher informed Tia.

Tia grinned. “Yeah? You remember Artie, right? Artie’s gonna get married to Quinn.” Tia then pointed to Quinn, who felt like her cheeks were on fire.

Mrs. Wells smiled. “Congratulations, Artie.” She shook Artie’s hand.

Artie chuckled. “Tia’s ahead of the game. We’re not engaged yet. We’re just here to drop off another hungry young mind for you to mold.” Artie held Diana up. Quinn was stuck on the fact that Artie had said they weren’t engaged “yet,” as in sometime in the future they would be. Maybe sometime in the future they would also drop off a child for his or her first day of kindergarten. Hopefully, that child will be just as happy as Diana to go.

“I look forward to one more Brenner.” Mrs. Wells tapped Diana on the shoulder. “You’re just as cute as Tia was when she was your age. I hope you come with just as many surprises… except the one that involved a bunch of wild frogs. I could live without that one happening again.”

Quinn could guess what that was about as Tia grinned proudly. Tia was the scientist out of them, a natural scientist, so she especially loved getting close to wild animals. She was a bit surprised to know Tia loved animals even back then.

“I don’t think this one is that interested in frogs or any other animal. She is curious, though, and prone to wander off,” Artie reported.

“Then I’ll be sure to keep an eye on her,” Mrs. Wells replied.

“The office has my contact information if you ever need me or my mom or my grandparents.”

Mrs. Wells nodded and Artie released Diana into the fray. Quinn thought Diana might show a little separation anxiety, but she jumped right in. She had done the same thing at day camp in the summer. Diana wanted to do stuff, be a part of things, and see what school was all about. It was adorable.

“Have fun, Piglet! Call me if you get scared,” Tia called in the room.

“Me, too!” Juno added and Artie smiled.

“They grow up so fast,” Aphrodite remarked with an exaggerated sniffle. Venus merely punched Artie in the arm, teasing her. Artie rolled her eyes at their antics.

Mrs. Wells smiled also and then disappeared into the room. Tia and Juno happily made their way to their own classes, running off with loud goodbyes. The twins wanted to make their own way to their first day of public high school, which made sense. They were cool teenagers now, officially. Artie smiled as she and Quinn were left alone to return home.

“That was adorable,” Quinn said. 

Artie nodded and took her head. “I’ve seen them all off to their first day of kindergarten. Mom will come and pick her up later. She’s picked everyone up from their first day. She takes them out for a special lunch.”

That was heartwarming. “You remember your special lunch?” 

Artie nodded. “We had tacos. Of course, I had, like, four and got sick, but it was nice.”

Quinn took Artie’s hand. “I love your family traditions. You’re all so cute. Were you just as eager to start school as the Piglet?” 

“Oh, yeah. We’re all like that. I don’t know why. I think our grandparents did something to us. Made us crazy and we don’t know it.” Artie did a twirling motion around her ear.

Quinn laughed. “I think you did something.” 

“Me?”

“Yes, you. They see how you value school and how you go and they want to be like you.”

Artie only laughed. She ducked her head a bit, as if she were embarrassed by it. Quinn decided to leave her be as they returned home. She allowed thoughts of Artie someday taking their child to school on the first day of school play through her mind. And, she was sure when the day was over, Artie would want to take the child to a special lunch. Quinn wanted nothing more than to be right there when that happened.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: the couple has a little fun and does a little shopping.


	46. Quality Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains sexual intimacy between two women, so if you don’t like that sort of thing, it’s odd that you’re here.

46: Quality Time 

Living together and dealing with school this time around was a simpler order since they had done it before. Artie schedule was a little more manageable, even with her job at a counseling center. She didn’t take nearly as many tutor students, but she made exceptions for past students who she considered friends. She really liked her graduate courses and looked forward to getting her Master’s degree at the end of the year. She would go after her second one once the first was out of the way. Doing it this way just made things more manageable and ensured she had some free time.

Quinn was just as enthused about her final year of undergrad and the courses she had, including her seminar course for the semester. She was working on the school newspaper again, writing online mostly. She’d also taken to submitting articles for online sites, mostly funny sites that allowed her to write humorous articles. She still preferred crime writing and mysteries, but it was something. 

Best of all they had the weekends to themselves. Even though they didn’t have class on Fridays, Artie had work and Quinn found a part-time job to fill her time, but the weekend was theirs. They sent much of it cuddled in bed, or doing other things in bed.

“Oh, god!” Quinn moaned, hand pressed against the wall and her body trembling with pleasure. She could hardly move, but she couldn’t stop either. Artie held onto her hips, continuing to thrust into her, shaking the bed.

“So good,” Artie grunted, hands clutching Quinn tightly.

Quinn cried out, trying to keep up with Artie’s bucking hips. Artie’s hand dragged up her body, cupping her bouncing breast. A flick of Quinn’s nipple drew more sounds from her and then Artie sat up, just enough to catch the other nipple in her mouth. The suction was too much for Quinn. She practically howled, her back bowed, and her body shuddered with delight.

Quinn collapsed onto Artie. “No more, love,” she moaned weakly.

Artie chuckled and held Quinn tightly, rubbing gentle circles on her sweat-slicked back. “You sure?” She held back a purr, enjoying the press of Quinn’s breasts against hers. It took a lot of willpower to not flip them over and not make love to Quinn like there was no tomorrow… again. She managed to move Quinn enough to ease out of her, earning a light moan.

Quinn nuzzled her neck and then settled her head on Artie’s shoulder. “Art, no woman alive could survive this many orgasms. Isn’t that enough?”

Artie cuddled Quinn, caressing her back. “I’m sure there are women alive who could survive more, but I don’t want them, so you’re enough. I’ll let you catch your breath.” 

Now, Quinn laughed. “How generous of you.”

“If you play your cards right, I’ll even do all the work.” 

Quinn laughed again. “Trust me, if we go again, you damn sure will have to do all the work. I don’t think I can feel my legs anymore.”

Artie made a noise and moved her hand to run through Quinn’s hair. For a while, they were quiet. It was nice just listening to Quinn breathe and have each inhale bring them closer. Every few seconds, Quinn kissed her neck or her chin. 

“Hey, Princess,” Artie said, keeping one hand in Quinn’s hair while the other caressed her side.

“No, I’m not ready for round six, yet,” Quinn joked in a slightly whiny voice.

“Clearly not because we just finished round six. I’ve fucked your memory out of you,” Artie remarked.

Quinn looked up, glaring. “Hey, I don’t very much appreciate you referring to it as fucking.”

Artie craned an eyebrow. “Even when you’re riding me like a bucking bronco? Which you are freaking amazing at, by the way.” 

“Even then and don’t try to butter me up. So, no more of that word out of you in reference to us having sex.”

“I’ve sexed your memory out of you doesn’t have the same ring to it. But, before you turned into the grammar police on me, I had a question.” 

“Which was?” Quinn asked, giving her neck another kiss.

“Well, it was going to be if you liked my dick, but I feel like you’ll get pissed if I say – Ow!” Apparently, she was right to assume Quinn would get upset as Quinn pinched her before she could finish speaking. “That was rude of you, Princess.” 

“You know how I feel about  _that_  word, too,” Quinn scolded her.

A lopsided grin overtook Artie’s face. “Can you tell me the acceptable term, so I don’t get pinched again?”

“Why are you even trying to ask me such a question? I’d think it was obvious, especially considering what we just did,” Quinn said. 

“No, but I mean in the sense, do you like this specific one?”

Quinn sat up and stared at Artie with a wrinkled forehead. “I don’t understand.”

“I was thinking we could go shopping for another one, one you picked out. One especially for you… that I haven’t used for anyone else,” Artie explained. It was something that bothered her for a while. She just never really had the time to bring it up and correct this.

Quinn’s face scrunched up cutely. “I feel weird that I find this touching.” 

Artie laughed. “Weird like when you told me you like it when I pull your hair?”

“Yes, that weird, but I’d like to. I mean, pick out one, with you. But, I’ve never been to one of those stores and… well, would you order it on line?” Quinn’s forehead wrinkled.

Another laugh. “Nope, totally go into a store. Probably even talk to a salesperson and pick out one and maybe some other toys.” 

“You want to go into a store and pick out a… a… thing?” Quinn’s eyes were wide.

Artie gave Quinn a reassuring smile. “It’ll be fun. You might see some things you like. Try it, just once. If you hate it, I’ll never take you back.” 

Quinn scoffed. “I love how you think you’re taking me there a first time.”

“Come on. I promise you, it’ll be fun. It’s not gross or nasty or anything. Just a bunch of fun stuff. It’ll be cool. You’ll like it,” Artie said and she started tickling Quinn.

Quinn squirmed and tried to get away. “Oh, god, no! You’re evil! You’re a wicked, wicked woman! Stop!” 

“Say you’ll go and I’ll stop.”

“All right, all right! I’ll go! I’ll go!”

Artie grinned as she stopped her torture. Quinn moved to the edge of the bed, just in case as Artie turned onto her side and smiled at her flushed girlfriend.

“I promise, it’s not gross,” Artie said, putting her hand out. 

Quinn smiled back. “I trust you.” She took Artie’s hand and allowed Artie to pull her closer. 

Quinn tucked herself into Artie’s side. Now Artie actually felt a bit ridiculous because she still had her strap-on attached to her and it didn’t seem like Quinn would go back to riding her any time soon. The very thought of it made her shudder. If she kept thinking about it, she’d need round seven or she’d have to take care of herself.

“Quinn, I’ve got another question.” 

“You’re curious this morning. Or is it afternoon? What the hell time is it?” Quinn wondered. She did not bother to pick her head up to find out.

Artie scoffed. “Hell if I know. I was wondering, do you have any fantasies? Or any like little things I do that turn you on? I mean, apart from your hair and all.” 

Quinn chuckled. “You know, you kinda keep me on my toes, so I’ve never really had any fantasies. I mean, I’ve done things with you I’ve never imagined and like them all, so I enjoy when we do them again.”

Artie smiled. “Wow. I wasn’t expecting that. You really like everything?”

Quinn sat up, looking Artie in the eye. “Yes. Don’t you?”

“Well, yeah.” Artie shrugged. “I just wondered if you ever wanted to try something. I’d love to try it with you. I mean, like, have you ever wanted to be tied up?” 

Quinn shook her head. “Nope. You?”

“I’d be lying if I said I ever wanted that. The urge to ever get spanked?” 

“Beyond what you already do? No. You?”

Artie poked out her lip and shook her head. “Nope and sorry for spanking you. I get kinda wrapped up in the moment.” 

“Honestly, I do, too, which is why I don’t mind. Artie, you don’t need to go down a list. I’m pretty happy with what we have. I’ll let you know if I ever do have a fantasy. You’re the only person I’d ever want to explore it with.”

“Same here.” Artie looked forward to it. She wondered what sort fantasies they’d explore through their times together. But, first, they’d get to go to a toy story together.  _Something has to be wrong with me if that makes me giddy_. 

-8-8-8-8-

The store wasn’t gross, just like Artie promised, but it was a bit overwhelming. Quinn had never seen so many sex toys in one place. Sure, Artie’s toy was the only one she’d ever seen, but this was beyond her imagination. She never imagined so many porn movies and magazines could be in one place. And then there were clothes. She didn’t know what to think about the clothes, especially stuff that looked almost normal, but she knew were for some fetish that she just couldn’t think of. She stuck close to Artie, holding her hand.

“Do you know where you’re going?” Quinn asked curiously as Artie pulled her along. 

“I have a vague idea. It’s been a while since I’ve been here,” Artie replied.

“What’s a while?” 

“About two years. You see anything you like? Or anything you wanna know more about?”

Quinn shook her head. She could hardly believe how normal Artie was treating this. She wasn’t sure she was ready to learn anything about anything. She just wanted to keep her eyes on the floor. Everyone else around seemed like everything was normal and she was just embarrassed. She knew sex was normal, but sex was supposed to be private. Shopping for it in a store was not private. It was very, very public.

“Well, here we go,” Artie stated and they faced a wall of dildos. Quinn was certain her head was going to explode from all of the blood rushing to her face. 

“That is a lot,” Quinn muttered and she nibbled her bottom lip for a moment.

Nodding, Artie shrugged a little. “Yeah, it is. But, we can narrow things down based on your tastes.” 

“My tastes?” Quinn yelped. She knew she shouldn’t feel so self-conscious, but she did.

“Yeah, it’s basically for you. I mean, I just wear the damn thing. Well, I do more than wear, but you know, you’re the one who feels it. I want something that you like, not something that makes me tell a guy I’m hung like a horse,” Artie explained. 

Quinn’s forehead wrinkled, even though that made sense to her. She was the one who would receive this.  _But, what’s it like to wear it?_  She wondered where that thought came from, but it was there now and she couldn’t help but think about it as she looked at the wall of dildos.

“Which one would you pick?” Quinn asked.

“I dunno. I guess one similar to the one I have now since I know you like it, but I thought you might want something different. I’m not sure what, though,” Artie answered.

Quinn shook her head. “No, no, no. What one would you pick to have inside of you?” 

Artie looked down, her face scrunched up. “Inside of me?”

“Yes.” Apparently, she suddenly did have a fantasy. “I want to be inside of you with one.” 

“Inside of me?” Artie repeated, as if she didn’t understand, like Quinn might as well have been speaking Greek.

“Yes. I want to be the one wearing it and you receiving it,” Quinn said and Artie still looked like she had no idea what Quinn meant. 

Artie squinted. “What?”

Quinn chuckled and patted Artie’s hand. She was serious, though. She was now curious what it was like to wear the toy. She knew Artie liked it and she also knew she liked feeling it. She thought maybe Artie would like to feel it, but that didn’t seem to be the case. Still, when she found one she thought she’d like to wear, Artie picked up. 

“Now, find one you want to ride, please,” Artie said, her voice breaking a bit.

Quinn wondered what was so wrong. Artie wasn’t as enthused about this anymore. What was so horrible about her wearing the toy, just once? 

“Artie, I know I probably won’t be good with it the first time, but I really want to try just once. Have you ever…” Quinn wasn’t entirely sure how to ask the question.

Artie shook her head, more times than necessary really. “I only wear it. I don’t really have a desire to have it used against me.”

“Against?” Quinn echoed. Artie made it sound so antagonistic. She didn’t feel that way when Artie wore it. Artie didn’t elaborate and Quinn frowned. “You don’t have to buy it, you know? I don’t want you to have it used against you.” 

Artie looked down at her. Those russet eyes, usually so expressive to Quinn were unreadable beyond worry. Quinn wasn’t sure what Artie was worried about, though. Her desire to be the one to take Artie? Was it the sudden fantasy that made Artie uncomfortable or some part of the fantasy? Did Artie think she’d be bad at it, thus disappointing?

“Artie, sweetheart, I need you to talk to me,” Quinn begged. If they didn’t talk about this, she’s drive herself crazy wondering what Artie was worried about. 

Artie’s mouth moved, but nothing came out. She had to swallow before she could talk. “It’s fine. I just wasn’t expecting you to want that is all. I need to process it.”

Quinn nodded because that made sense. “Sorry I just sprang that on you. It only just came to mind.”

Artie shook her head, as if everything was fine, but she still wasn’t the same as before. She tried, she really did. Quinn was happy she tried because she needed Artie’s energy to help her pick a toy that she’d like to, as Artie put it, ride. She planned to do just that as soon as they got home with the hope that it would lift Artie’s spirits. Maybe if she did it just the way Artie liked, Artie would be more open to the idea of being on that end of things.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Artie seeks counsel before she and Quinn do this thing.


	47. Go Ahead

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains sexual intimacy between two women. If that’s not your deal, back away slowly.

47: Go Ahead

“She wants to fuck me,” Artie said with dread in her heart, as well as her voice. She could only hope she didn’t look as terrified as she felt. Her stomach flipped at the very mention of it. 

“Excuse me?” Vega replied. The best friends were on campus. Vega was going for a master’s degree as well while Yvonne was back on campus with them, going to law school. Right now, they were on their own as Yvonne had books she needed to buy and Quinn had class.

“Quinn. She wants to fuck me.”

Vega twisted her mouth while arching an eyebrow. “Let her. Why the hell is this a topic of discussion? Your girlfriend wants to fuck you, the normal response is to let her.”

“No, you don’t understand. She wants to fuck me with a cock I bought her when we went to Buried Treasure.”

Vega gasped. “You went there and didn’t tell me? I’ve been meaning to buy a new wand.”

Artie growled at her friend. “Can you fucking focus here? Quinn wants to fuck me with a cock.”

“Did you miss the part when I said let her?” Vega inquired with an arched eyebrow.

“Did you miss the part when I said with a _cock_?” Artie didn’t understand why Vega didn’t seem to think that was weird.

Vega stopped walking and stared at Artie. “I stand by my let her. What the hell is the big deal? You fuck her all the time with your dick.”

“Uh, yeah, it’s  _my_  dick.” Artie pointed to herself.

“And this one is hers. What’s wrong?”

Artie frowned and tried to figure out how to get through to her best friend. “If Tega wanted to fuck you with a dick would you let her?”

Vega shrugged and blew a raspberry. “I have. She’s not great with it, but thankfully she doesn’t like to do it often, but I let her when she does.”

This was news to Artie. “You let Tega… Really?” Artie asked, just unable to grasp what she was being told. Vega was… her brother.

Vega shrugged again, like this whole thing was no big deal. “Yeah, really. She wanted to try it. I use it probably almost as much as you do, so it makes sense that she’d be curious about it. She asked. I let her have a go at it. Like I said, she’s not that good with it. She has horrible pacing and she can’t keep a rhythm to save her life, which is hilarious considering how great she dances, but whenever the urge comes over her to do it, I’m all for it.”

Artie’s forehead wrinkled. “Why?”

Vega shrugged once more and started walking again. “Because I love her and we should totally experiment in bed. Keeps things interesting. Yeah, she’s bad with it, but she can make me come and it makes her happy, so I’m not going to complain.”

Artie scratched her head. “Yeah, but… I don’t like this idea. I don’t want to upset Quinn, but the idea of her fucking…” Her stomach knotted up just thinking about. 

Vega raised a finger. “I know what the problem is, Miss Psychologist.”

Artie sighed and put a hand to her forehead. “I know I’m going to regret this, but what’s the problem?”

“You think letting Quinn fuck you is gay and you’re scared of being gay.” 

Artie opened her mouth, but wasn’t sure what to say beyond, “Uh, I’m gay already. Really gay.”

“No, dude, no. Up until a few years ago, you were straight. You were a guy attracted to women. Not gay at all. Now, you’re still kind of a guy with a woman you love who wants to push a cock inside of you. Sounds gay to me,” Vega explained with a chuckle.

Artie narrowed her gaze. “Sometimes, I hate your insight.” This was probably why she had always hated the idea of someone trying to finger her. She was all right with Quinn doing it, though. Still, the idea of someone being inside of her seemed… weird, like backwards weird, especially with a dick.

“You’re always good with looking outside, figuring out others, but inside, not so much.” Vega wagged a finger at her. “Look, you’re a woman, right?” 

Artie wondered where her friend was going with this. “Yes.”

“So, there’s nothing gay about having a dick inside of you.” 

“You say that now…” Artie replied. It seemed really weird to her.

“What the hell does that even mean? I promise you, Quinn’s not going to slip inside of you and suddenly make you crave men. You turning gayer or straight or whatever the hell the case might be with you won’t happen. And the next time you have a sex issue can you do me the courtesy of picking a goddamn gender so I won’t leave the conversation just as confused as you?” Vega huffed.

Artie chuckled. “Excuse me for preferring the ambiguity.” As much as she hated to admit it, underneath it all, Vega was right. She was scared that somehow having the role reversal in bed would reverse things between them in every aspect of life. Suddenly, she’d be the girl, which could mean she was a girl. And while she was more than willing to accept her biological sex, she still couldn’t label herself totally female as a gender. 

“I don’t care about the ambiguity if you don’t have stupid issues. Try it out. I mean, you’ve had her fingers in you, right?”

Artie frowned. “This is more than fingers.” 

Vega nodded. “This is true. Still, try it out. Maybe Quinn won’t like it or maybe you will like it. Or if you try it and don’t like it, you tell her and it’s something you can cross off the list. You have to be a little curious if you let her buy a dick.”

Artie frowned even more. “I bought it.” 

“You bought her a dick, even though you’re not sure you want her to fuck you?” Vega sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “You know, what, you let her fuck you this weekend and if you don’t like it, then tell her. You’ve already basically told her you want to try it after you bought it for her. Did you buy her a fucking harness to go with it?”

“Well, I couldn’t just buy her a cock, could I? What sense would that make?” 

“Do you hear yourself talking? Like hear the very words you are saying right now? You’re like a crazy person.”

“How is that crazy?” 

Vega rubbed her forehead. “I don’t know if being in love has made you completely nuts or if you’ve always been this nuts and I just never noticed, but do you hear yourself? I mean, seriously? You couldn’t just buy her a cock, so you got her the harness to fuck you, but you don’t want to be fucked because it makes you gay. In some other universe somewhere, my head exploded from this conversation.”

“It wasn’t that simple. And why are you acting like I’ve never talked you down before?” Artie huffed, now scowling harshly. 

“I’m not saying you haven’t and I don’t mind talking you down, but this is just weird. I mean, really, Art? If you didn’t want her to fuck you, why would you buy her all of that stuff?” 

“Because we had just finished talking about fantasies and she said it was one of hers. I told her I wanted to try her fantasies with her.”

Vega grimaced. “And this was the first one she shared? Shit, that sucks. I did a couple of other things with Yvonne before she decided she wanted to fuck me. But, honestly, after her wanting to have sex in public, her fucking me was a lot tamer.”

Artie eyes went wide. “Tega wanted to have sex in public?” 

“Behind the innocent Catholic girl is a wild child. I can tell you this, if Quinn wants to have sex in a bathroom stall, drink a lot of alcohol before you try it. Doing that shit sober sucks.”

Artie chuckled. “You forget my life before Quinn. I’ve had sex in a bathroom stall. It’s cramped.” 

“Hell yeah. And it’s gross. It’s damn public bathroom. I had us get tested after that.”

“You did not.” But, knowing Vega, she totally did. 

Vega snorted. “I swear I did. It was gross, so gross. At least you get to be in the comfort of your bedroom for this. Relax and give it a go. You might like it. Discover your inner girl.”

Artie smiled. “I’ll try it, but I doubt that last part will happen.”

Vega chuckled. “Yeah, probably, but I don’t want you to change anyway. I’m used to this Artie. Just keep in mind that she’s not going to be perfect at first. So, if you don’t like it because she makes some mistakes, give her another try if she asks. Make sure to keep her confidence up, but don’t lie. Girls hate that.”

Artie rolled her eyes. “I know a little bit about girls, Vega.”

“Try not to panic if you really don’t like it. Be honest with her because that’s going to keep your relationship strong.”

Artie nodded. “Thanks, Vega.” 

“Hey, I’m your brother,” Vega remarked.

“You hate it when I call you that,” Artie reminded her. 

“I hate it when you say it like I’m like you and feel like my gender is male. Just because I like the same things as you and we’re rather similar doesn’t mean I think of myself as male. I’m not male and I don’t like you lumping me in like that with a label I don’t identify with. But, it’s all right when we’re bonding like this and we’re close that’s different in a way with you and your sisters.”

Artie smiled. “All right… bro.” Vega smiled.

-8-8-8-8-

Artie felt like her stomach was going to tumble right out of her body. She’d never been so nervous in all of her life. She wondered if this was how girls’ first times were. Was it always scary and nerve-wracking, even with someone that she loved? She wanted to put on a brave face, but there wasn’t one to be worn. 

“You okay?” Quinn asked, fumbling with her harness. Apparently, she was nervous, too. Her hands shook too badly to hold anything steady, so there was no way in Hell she’d be able to put the harness on.

“I could ask you the same thing,” Artie replied from her spot on the bed. She’d tried posing earlier, but felt like a complete ass. She imagined Quinn felt something similar. They were both out of their element here.

Quinn frowned. “How do you put this stupid thing on?”

Artie managed a small smile. “Come here. Let me help.”

Quinn nodded and did as requested. This helped settle Artie. Even though she was doing this for Quinn, the familiar movement helped. Running her hands over Quinn’s soft, nude body helped calm them both. Once she had Quinn settled, she looked her up and down, noticing a blush staining Quinn’s pale cheeks. 

“I feel ridiculous,” Quinn muttered.

“But, you look beautiful.” It wasn’t a lie. Quinn would always be beautiful to Artie, even when she was standing noticeably uncomfortable with an average sized dong hanging between her legs.

Quinn’s creamy forehead wrinkled as she pouted. “Well, I don’t feel it.” 

Artie chuckled. “I’ll be honest with you, I feel totally unsexy, too.”

Quinn’s eyes went wide. “Really?”

“Really. I’ve never been on this end of things and I really feel like a virgin all over again. But, despite that, I want to try this.” Again, this was the truth. As nervous as she was, she was the one that bought everything and she wanted Quinn to be happy. Besides, life was about new experiences, or so Vega told her yesterday when she called to make sure Artie was going to go through with this.  _I can do this. I want to do this. I want to experience new things with her and make her happy_. 

“I’m your first?” Quinn asked and she seemed oddly happy about this. There was a shine in her eyes that made Artie’s stomach settle.

“Yup. You get to experience me in all my unsexy glory,” Artie replied with a grin, hoping the humor loosened them both up.

Quinn smiled. “We can be unsexy together.”

“And who knows, with practice, one day we might even be sexy.” Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. 

Quinn glanced down her body and gave Artie a wry smile. “That might take a lot of practice.”

“Small steps. So, do you still want to do this?” 

Quinn nodded. “I do.”

“So, what would be easier? Do you want me lying all the way on the bed?” 

Quinn nodded again, eyes looking down once more. Artie took a breath and was able to focus on the idea of settling Quinn. Yes, this was nerve-wracking and frightening, but she wanted Quinn to be all right with this fantasy of hers. So, she pulled Quinn to her and kissed her. Quinn kissed her back.

Kissing Quinn, feeling her tongue caressing Artie’s and her lips move against Artie’s was enough distraction for both of them. She pulled Quinn closer, wanting to feel her bare skin against her body. She moaned as Quinn put her hands on Artie’s shoulders. Artie opened her legs and pulled Quinn closer. 

“Can we just let this happen naturally?” Quinn asked, leaning down to kiss the corner of Artie’s mouth.

“I think that’s the only way it’ll happen,” Artie remarked. It was hard to ignore the ‘unnatural’ bit pressing against her thigh, but if Quinn just kept kissing her, she was certain after a while she wouldn’t care.

The kissing and caressing resumed. Artie moved further back on the bed and Quinn followed, crawling up on it. Soon, Artie mouth worked its way down Quinn’s body, leaving a wet trail down Quinn’s delicious body. She moaned when she got to Quinn’s breasts and wasted no time wrapping her lips around a tempting nipple. Quinn let out a whimper and pushed more of herself into Artie’s mouth.

Quinn’s hands weren’t idle. Going from Artie’s shoulders, they wandered down Artie’s side and across her torso. She came to her favorite pair and teased Artie’s nipples, rolling the gems with her thumb. It was always a shock to Artie how much she liked this now, but it lit a fire in her belly. One hand wandered lower, in search of another gem. Artie groaned, as did Quinn when she felt the lovely dew that greeted her. Soft sounds from them both filled the room, building their passion. 

Quinn’s body moved against Artie, craving some friction. She seemed to forget that she was wearing a strap-on and groaned in frustration. Artie, on the other hand, was reminded just what was happening here and felt the nervous flutter in her stomach again. It waged war with her arousal because, damn it, she wanted Quinn. Unfortunately, she wanted to be buried inside of Quinn, but had to settle for the other way around.

“Can I?” Quinn asked. Her forehead was furrowed in aggravation and her neck was tense.

Artie could only nod, not able to trust her voice. Quinn glanced down their bodies, taking hold of her attachment. Artie glanced down, too, but decided it was best not to look. While Quinn used some lube that sat on the nightstand, Artie occupied her time with some of her favorite items, Quinn’s breasts. She sucked on one nipple while flicking the other with her thumb. Quinn moaned and wobbled.

“Baby, could you… I’m trying… I can’t…” Quinn muttered, rocking against Artie. The movement let Artie know what Quinn meant more than her incomplete sentences. 

Artie reached between them, guiding Quinn. She grunted as she hit the mark and used her free hand to push on Quinn’s lower back, signaling for her to press forward. Artie tensed and groaned as Quinn slowly entered her. Quinn must’ve sensed her distress because she leaned down, kissing Artie, distracting her from the intrusion. She also took Artie’s hand from between them and placed it back on her breast. When she pulled away, Artie was breathing through gritted teeth.

“You’re doing so well, love,” Quinn pretty much cooed.

It reminded Artie of the first time Quinn used her fingers. There were a lot of small kisses and words of encouragement. Quinn gave her tiny kisses along her mouth and jaw until she was no longer gritting her teeth. She still felt stretched beyond her imagination, but whispered words settled her somewhat. 

“You’re so amazing, love,” Quinn said.

“You, too,” Artie grunted, rubbing Quinn’s breast, trying to focus on the weight. 

“Just tell me when to move,” Quinn whispered.

Artie nodded. She needed to adjust. This was way more than a couple of fingers, physically. Psychologically, this might as well have been a mountain. Quinn propped herself up on her elbows and placed soft kisses to Artie’s throat and jaw.

“It’s okay, sweetheart,” Quinn whispered. “You’re doing so well.” She placed more tender kisses along Artie’s jaw. “I love you. I love you,” she said over and over in between kisses. 

Artie groaned and felt the words all over, along with the sweet kisses. She continued kneading Quinn’s breast and back until she felt like she was ready. For all she knew, she spent an eternity enjoying Quinn’s lips and breast. She pressed her hand into the small of Quinn’s back.

“Go ahead, Princess. Show me what you got,” Artie dared her, trying to get back some of her bravado. 

Quinn nodded and rocked her hips slowly, experimentally. Artie took a few breaths, knowing she needed to loosen up. She needed Quinn to feel fine with her movement. After a few breaths, she felt better. Artie moaned, not expecting the pleasure that jolted through her. The sound blustered Quinn’s confidence because the next stroke was bolder, stronger. Artie let loose another moan, throwing her head back. Quinn smiled and kissed Artie’s jaw.

“I’m doing good?” Quinn asked in a whisper. 

“Uh-huh,” Artie replied, pulling Quinn closer to her with the hand on her back.

Quinn sat up a little more, looking Artie in the eye. Artie smiled at her and pulled her down for a kiss. Quinn’s strokes became even stronger. Artie wrapped a leg around Quinn, moving with her now, needing more of Quinn, even though she knew this wouldn’t cut it. They started moving in a frenzy, but eventually it was clear they’d be doing that all night if they didn’t change something. 

“You’re not going to… like this, are you?” Quinn inquired, sweat dripping down her face.

Artie shook her head, panting. While this wasn’t awful, like she expected, she wouldn’t climax like this. She doubted she ever would. Quinn looked down between them and then back up at Artie. 

“My mouth?” Quinn proposed.

“Please.” She was certain she’d shoot off the bed at the first touch of Quinn’s tongue and she was right.

Artie felt like her entire body erupted with bliss. The build up had been so much, she was surprised her head had not exploded with the rest of her body. She doubted she’d ever catch her breath, even as she came down from that wonderful high. Quinn settled on top of her, minus one strap-on. 

“So, how was it?” Quinn asked, trying to maintain eye contact, but her gaze drifted to the left.

“Honestly?” 

“Yes, honestly.”

“It was better than I expected. And before you jump on me for the phrasing, Quinn, I was scared out of my fucking mind about this.” 

Quinn’s brow furrowed. “I thought you were just nervous and I really thought you were nervous I was going to be bad.”

Artie put her hands on Quinn’s hips. “No, I was scared. I’ve never done anything like this and it’s not… you know… manly.” It sounded stupid to say aloud, but she knew she needed to be able to talk to Quinn about things like this.

Quinn tilted her head. “Manly? Artie, again?”

“No, no, no! This isn’t about me trying to be a guy or anything. It’s just…” Artie sighed. “I don’t know how to explain it. I was scared that this would change me, change us.” 

Quinn smirked. “Suddenly, I’d get all buff and wear the pants around here and you’d be wearing skirts? I wish I was that good!”

Artie laughed. “It was a stupid thought.”

Quinn sobered up and caressed Artie’s cheek. “No, it wasn’t. This isn’t something you’re used to. I was scared, too. I was scared you’d see me in that thing and think about how silly I look and you’d never want to touch me again. I was scared this would go horrible and you’d never want to do something I suggested in bed again.” She chewed her bottom lip. “That didn’t happen, right? I know I couldn’t make you come with it, but I didn’t totally ruin our sex life, right?” 

“You didn’t. I don’t think you can do that. And just because I didn’t come doesn’t mean I’m opposed to doing this again. I mean, my body seems to like clit stimulation a lot more than penetration anyway. Plus, I was too tense, but, like I said, it wasn’t awful. I know that’s not a ringing endorsement, but really I was so scared.”

Quinn squinted, searching her face. “Why’d you agree to it if you were scared?” 

“I told you, I want to do your fantasies with you. Besides, Vega gave me a pep talk about how doing this doesn’t make me gay.”

“Doesn’t make you… Artie, I thought you said this wasn’t about your being a guy.” 

“It’s not! I promise, it’s not. But, Vega helped and I’m glad she did. Like I said, I’m not opposed to doing this again. I think next time, we’ll be better, if you want to do it again.”

Quinn smiled. “I’m not opposed to it, but not any time soon. I feel utterly silly wearing that thing. I don’t understand how you manage to look so damned gorgeous in it and I feel like I might as well be dressed as court jester.” 

Artie sat up and guided Quinn down to her for a kiss. “You are always gorgeous, my love.”

“You are, too, even when you’re nervous. And, thanks for trusting me with this.” 

“Who else would I trust with this?”

“I’m happy you trust me, though.” 

Artie smiled. “Yeah, I trust you, just like you trust me.”

Quinn kissed Artie’s cheek. “I do trust you and I look forward more fantasies.”

Artie nodded. “Just let me know when you want to do this again or I will let you know when I want to… and we’ll let nature take its course.” She was glad that Quinn didn’t want to do it again any time soon, though. It was fine for experimenting or shaking things up, but she wasn’t in the mood to receive very often.

Quinn laughed, causing her breasts to bounce and drawing attention to her bare chest. Moment of reflection over, Artie was all for nature taking its course in more familiar ways at that time. Quinn responded by moaning as Artie nibbled on her breasts. She wrapped her arms around Artie’s head, holding her into place. Yes, definitely more familiar ways.

-8-8-8-8- 

Next time: Quinn, Yvonne, and Morgan bond through shopping.


	48. Shopping Trip

48: Shopping Trip 

Artie was at work and Quinn had the apartment to herself. She worked on a paper while mentally debating on what to make for dinner. She didn’t want to make pasta. She was trying to grow as a chef, she supposed. She wanted to be able to make a variety of things.

She looked up some recipes earlier, but none of them really caught her attention. Scrunching up her face, she put the finishing touches on her paper and still needed to figure out dinner. Grabbing her phone, she scrolled through contacts and came to her nana Lois. She hadn’t spoken to her grandmother in a few days. Maybe her grandmother would have some suggestions. 

“Hey, Nana,” Quinn greeted her with a smile.

“Hey there, baby. How’s everything going?” Lois replied. 

“Everything’s going well. I’m trying to expand as a cook, Nana.”

Lois giggled. “Someone wants to be a happy homemaker.”

A blushed fired up her face and she was thankful her grandmother wasn’t there or she would have been teased even more. “Nana! I just want to be able to cook.”

“For Artie?” 

“Well, yes, for Artie. She’s out working a fulltime job to take care of me and her family. The least I can do is have dinner cooking when she comes in,” Quinn huffed.

“Is it 1950 already?” Lois teased with a giggle. 

Quinn groaned and palmed her face. “Nana, I have another grandmother I can call, you know?” 

“And you don’t think Babs would have a field day with this? I’m actually going to call her as soon as we get off the phone. This is too precious! Does she have a reclining chair that only she can sit in, too?” 

Another groan escaped her, especially since she knew her other grandmother would be just as bad. “Go ahead, laugh it up.”

“I am doing that right now, thank you very much.” Lois laughed a little more before the sound died down. “So, seriously, are you preparing to be her little housewife?” 

“No, Nana. I just want to have dinner done when she comes in. Is that so wrong?”

“No, sweetheart. I actually think it’s cute and I hope Artie appreciates it.” 

Quinn smiled softly. “She will if I can ever get around to actually making something.”

“I have plenty of recipes on my computer. I’ll email you. What sort of job does Artie have? When did she get it?” Lois asked. 

“She’s a youth counselor and she got it about a week after school started. She got some help in landing it from her advisor and likes it very much.” 

“That’s good. She seems like she’s got a good head on her shoulders.”

Quinn nodded to herself. “She does. You guy should come visit again and get to know her more. I mean, the weekend you were here was great, but she’s really interested in finding out more about you and I think she needs to see you like her.”

“Of course we like her! She treats you with respect and clearly loves you. Why would she think we don’t like her? Is it because your grandfathers kept asking her about her muscles? Oh, did Babs and I offend her by commenting on how she looks like a boy? We didn’t mean anything by it. We’ve just never met someone like her before,” Lois explained. 

“That makes five of us. She’s a special person, Nana. She wants you guys to like her because she knows how much you mean to me.” 

“We do like her, but if visiting more will show that, I will talk to your granddaddy and try to make another trip out there soon, pumpkin.”

“She’ll appreciate and so will I.” Thoughts of seeing her grandparents put a smile on her face. 

“Then I’ll do it as soon as we’re done. But, I’m not ready to let you go just yet.”

Quinn chuckled and she spoke to her grandmother for twenty more minutes about general things. Once the call was over, she opened the email from her grandmother and grinned. There were so many options, so many dishes. She might have to go shopping. She picked up her phone. 

“Hey, Yvonne,” Quinn said.

“Hey, Quinn. To what do I owe the pleasure? Artie’s not doing anything wrong, right?” Yvonne asked.

“No, no, no. This is nothing like that. I’m just about to go shopping and I was wondering if you wanted to go.”

“Thanks for the offer. I do need to go to the store. Vega’s eaten us out of house and home and she’s the one with the car right now,” Yvonne chuckled. 

“Artie’s the same. I’ll pick you up in about fifteen minutes, okay?”

“Sounds good.” 

They disconnected the call. Quinn also got in touch with Morgan, wanting to see if she’d tag along. Morgan was all for it, needing little snacks apparently. So, Quinn finished up what she was doing and went to pick up her friends. 

-8-8-8-8-

“Wow, you two are really shopping,” Morgan commented as Quinn and Yvonne pushed carts down the aisle in the supermarket. The carts were halfway full. Morgan held a little basket, which was also halfway full.

“Some of it is to just keep Vega from whining,” Yvonne replied with a grin. 

“Mine is to make sure Artie actually eats through the day. If I leave her to her own devices, she eats nothing but energy bars and gummi bears. That can’t be healthy, which is strange considering who I’m talking about,” Quinn said.

“Buy trail mix. She’ll eat it,” Yvonne said. 

“Is that what Vega eats when she needs a snack?” Quinn asked.

“One of the things. Fruit cups and such work, too, but it has to be real fruit, not something with the biblical shelf life sitting in syrup. Just something to keep her going while she’s in between meals, something she can eat and still focus on whatever work thing is occupying her time,” Yvonne answered.

Quinn nodded and she followed Yvonne’s led. She also picked up the items to make chicken milano. Morgan glanced into Quinn’s cart. 

“What the hell are you planning to cook? I thought you only made spaghetti and ziti,” Morgan commented.

“I’m trying my hand at chicken milano. I think Artie’ll like it, as long as I don’t mess it up,” Quinn replied and she laughed to cover up the insecurity that she felt. She didn’t make any chicken dishes, so this would be a first. 

“Chicken milano? That sounds interesting. Do you mind if I tag along to your apartment and see how you make it? I need to learn to make more chicken things. Poor Vega has the misfortune of being with a girl who cook a ton of pork, but not much else,” Yvonne said with a smile. 

Quinn chuckled. “Sure, you can come. It’s my first time making it. My grandmother sent me a ton of recipes and there’s a huge mix of things, so you can find non-pork dishes.”

“Vega doesn’t eat pork?” Morgan asked. 

“No pork, no drinking, no smoking.” Yvonne ticked things these items off of her finger. “I honestly don’t mind any of those, but we’re both horrible when she’s fasting during Ramadan or when I give up things for Lent. We get very irritable.”

“Is it hard being in a relationship with someone of a different faith?” Quinn asked curiously. 

Yvonne shook her head. “I don’t think it’s really a problem for us. Neither of us are diehard for our religions, you know? I guess it’ll become an issue if we ever have kids, but then again, we’d have to get married first and I don’t see Vega asking any time soon.”

“No? Why?” Morgan asked, her eyebrows bending in a little.

Yvonne shrugged. “Vega’s just not the type and I told her when we got together that she has to ask me. I was the one that did all of the work to get us together, so it was on her to keep us together forever.” 

“So, is this her way of calling your bluff?” Morgan inquired with an arched eyebrow now.

“No, not calling my bluff, but sort of showing that she doesn’t need a ring to keep me here. She thinks that if we get married, I’ll stay no matter what. I might not be diehard religious, but marriage vows are damn serious,” Yvonne explained. 

Quinn chuckled. “This seems very much like Vega. It seems like she’s being a hard-ass, but she’s actually being a softie about it.”

Yvonne smiled. “That’s my Vega, my bright, shining star. Once you figure her out, she’s very lovable. If only she had a brother for you, Morgan, we could all be related by faux-marriage.” 

Morgan laughed. “As much as I have learned to like annoying Vega, I don’t need a brother from her. Besides, isn’t Artie her brother?” She threw a teasing smile Quinn’s way.

Quinn pointed at her best friend. “Hey, they call each other that, so stop it.” 

Morgan gasped. “No, they don’t!”

“They do,” Yvonne confirmed with a nod. “Now, you said you don’t need Vega’s brother. Are you seeing someone?” 

Morgan just blushed. Quinn laughed. Morgan was indeed seeing someone, but Quinn would let Morgan tell it when she was comfortable.

“Morgan, you should come for dinner,” Quinn said as they made their way to the cue to pay for their items. 

“I’m not going to turn down free food, even if it might be poisonous,” Morgan replied with a smile.

Quinn frowned and playfully swatted at her. “Stop it.” 

“And you should bring your boyfriend,” Yvonne added with a grin.

“No, I don’t think I’ll do that. I need to prep him before letting him know that my closest friends are two same-sex couples. I don’t want him thinking I’m using him for a beard or something,” Morgan explained.

“You’d think if you hung out with a bunch of lesbians, you’d have no problem coming out of the closet and wouldn’t need a beard,” Yvonne reasoned. 

Morgan chuckled. “Yeah, but he still needs to be prepped. I don’t want him to meet Artie and ask her to her face if she’s a guy.”

Yvonne conceded that point with a nod. Once everything was paid for, they made their rounds, taking Morgan’s things to her room and then dropping Yvonne’s bags off at her apartment. The last stop was home for Quinn and she got to work on the chicken milano. Yvonne called Vega and told her that they were having dinner with Quinn and Artie, so she knew to show up at the apartment after her classes. 

“This is looking good,” Yvonne commented as Quinn put the finishing touches on the food.

“Yeah, Quinn, looks like you’re shaping up into an impressive housewife,” Morgan teased, slapping Quinn on the shoulder.

Quinn opened her mouth to object, but decided against it. If she was honest with herself, she did want to learn all of these new recipes for Artie and to show Artie that she could handle these chores. She wanted Artie to see that she could take care of Artie. 

“Quinn, look what I found on our doorstep,” Artie called as she and Vega entered the apartment. “Whoa, something smells really good.”

“Quinn made dinner,” Yvonne informed them as she set the table, which was still just the coffee table. 

“It’s good,” Morgan promised.

Artie and Vega seemed more surprised than anything else. They dropped their bags and the friends all sat for dinner. They all agreed; it was delicious. 

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: a dispute over a table.


	49. Shop Around

49: Shop Around

“Artie,” Quinn said, standing in front of Artie. Artie was on the sofa with her laptop working on a paper. 

“Yes?” Artie replied, not looking at her lover.

“We should buy a table.” 

Artie blinked and looked up because she was not expecting that. “We should buy a what?”

“A table. You know how me, Morgan, and Yvonne cook dinner at least three times a week here now. We need a table. The five of us sitting around the coffee table is just embarrassing. You and Vega can’t even fit on the couch with us,” Quinn pointed out. 

Artie shrugged. “I like it. It’s like camping.”

“It is not like camping. You just don’t want to go shopping,” Quinn huffed, folding her arms across her chest.

Artie laughed because she couldn’t call Quinn a liar on that. “And you don’t want to go shopping with me. You know that and I know that.” She was the least pleasant person to shop with and Quinn was very aware of that.

“Uh… no, you wanna get off this couch and come with me to buy a little dinner table. You know that and I know that.” 

Artie squinted, knowing there was a threat in there. “Oh, come on, babe, you’re not pulling the withholding sex thing. Don’t make us one of those couples.”

Quinn scoffed and rolled her eyes. “I’d never do that. You can live without sex. What will drive you up the wall, though, is the fact that we won’t continue practicing new meals. Not only will that mess you up, but Vega will be pissed, too, and I’ll just tell her the food has stopped because someone didn’t want to go shopping for a table.” 

Artie glared. “You’re evil, woman. We need food.” But, she really didn’t want to go shopping. It was the bane of her existence!

“Well, we also need a table to eat like a civilized group. So, we need to get on that.”

Artie groaned. “Is this something I should look forward to? Manipulation and threats?”

Quinn ground her teeth for a moment and just stared at Artie. “I dunno, should I look forward to whining whenever I want to go shopping for something?”

“Yes!” Artie answered quite honestly. “I hate shopping, you know that. You saw me with just the stupid bathing suits. I’m like that with everything. Seriously, _everything_.” 

“Well, you can’t be that way forever. We’re going to need to shop for stuff. One day, we’re going to have to actually furnish an apartment or a house. I’d like you to come food shopping every now and then. Hell, I’d like to walk with you through a mall on occasion.”

Artie opened her mouth, prepared to be a brat again, but decided against it. Quinn said they’d have an apartment or a house. She saw a future for them as a regular couple. She’d endure shopping just for that. 

“Can we look online first? Just to get an idea of what we both want and then go look?” Artie asked. If they had an idea, they wouldn’t have to shop around in different stores and she couldn’t have to be tortured for longer than necessary.

“No problem,” Quinn answered and she sat down next to Artie. 

Looking online helped them settle on a style and also a price range. Artie would’ve liked just ordering off line, but Quinn wanted to see what stores had to offer. So, that weekend, they made their rounds to local stores. 

-8-8-8-8-

“How you doing, Artie?” Quinn asked, holding Artie’s hand. She felt bad that what should have been a simple task of being a table for their dining room and capable of holding five people had turned into an all-day event. She’d have to make this up to Artie. 

“I’m okay. You’d think they’d have a freaking table that works for us,” Artie huffed, scanning the many tables housed in the large store. They had been to three such stores and found nothing.

“I’m sorry about this.” 

Russet eyes gazed down at Quinn and she squeezed Quinn’s hand. “Baby, you don’t have to apologize. I got all my whining in two stores ago and I agreed to do this. I’m fine. I just want to find a table because after this adventure, the first thing I’m eating on it is you.”

Quinn gave Artie’s hand a jerk. “Artie!” 

“What? That has always been the plan in my head from the very beginning. You weren’t thinking that?” Artie inquired with a grin.

“No, and you’re not thinking it either. We’re going to be eating there. I’m not serving our friends on a table we had sex on.”

Artie snorted. “Party-pooper. It’s not like they’d know.” 

“I’d know! How do you expect me to look Morgan and Yvonne in the face?”

“So, if Vega was the only one using the table, we could totally have sex on it?”

Quinn groaned. “No! Come on, let’s keep looking.” She yanked Artie’s hand again, pulling her away.

Artie didn’t object and followed behind Quinn. While continuing the search, Quinn massaged Artie’s hand with her thumb. She thought Artie was being great about this whole shopping experience. 

“Baby, why are you being such a good sport about this?” Quinn asked curiously.

“Truthfully, because I need to get used to junk like this if we’re going to have a future together. Like you said, we’ll have to go furniture shopping one day. Plus, we’re gonna have a little Kevin or Christina and the baby will need clothes and stuff,” Artie replied with a grin. 

“Apollo or Athena,” Quinn corrected her.

“Todd or Kelly.” 

“Helios or Nike.”

They continued on with the argument of their unborn child while looking at price ranges for tables and feeling the material. They almost came close to buying one until Artie sat down in the chair and they could actually hear it sobbing under her weight. She got up before the chair broke.

“Maybe we need to spend a little bit more,” Artie suggested.

“Definitely. We need something sturdy,” Quinn agreed. 

“I’ll agree to one more store just because now I’m scared if we order something off line, I will seriously break it if I flop down one day.” 

Quinn chuckled, but agreed. They went to one more store and after searching found a table that fit their needs. The first thing they did on it was have dinner with their friends. There were smiles and stories and laughter along with good food. Quinn was never going to agree to have sex on it, but if one day she could have it bronzed to save, she probably would.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: During Thanksgiving, Quinn bonds with Tori.


	50. Thank You

50: Thank You

Thanksgiving was upon them and the pantheon was laid out in the living room after gorging themselves on the first helping. They made it a true feast, having some of everything from what Quinn had been able to tell. Quinn looked at them and smiled. Artie was passed out on the couch with Tia tucked in next to her, using Artie’s shoulder as a headrest. Juno was asleep on top of Artie while the twins were knocked out against the sofa with Diana spread out across their legs.

“You did good with the food,” Anna said, patting Quinn on the shoulder. 

“Thanks. I’ve been trying,” Quinn replied with a smile. She had put her all into making dishes for Thanksgiving. The pantheon had enjoyed it all from what she could tell, which made her feel quite proud of herself.

“How’s Artie doing? I know she has a full course load and work and she’s still sending money. I don’t want her to spread herself too thin or stress herself out,” Anna said. 

“She’s doing it. I don’t know how, but she is.”

Anna nodded. “I think I know how.”

Quinn arched an eyebrow. “How?” 

“You’re there. You take good care of her. She doesn’t have to worry with you,” Anna admitted.

Quinn blinked in shock. She couldn’t believe Anna would say such a thing. Yes, they were on better terms now, but for her to admit that Quinn was the reason Artie was able to go on was remarkable. Quinn couldn’t muster words to respond and Anna didn’t give her a chance.

“You’re a good girl, Quinn. I see that and I see how you try with Artie. I’m happy Artie has you by her side,” Anna stated.

“Wow,” Quinn muttered, completely taken aback. “Thank you.” 

“Well, I might as well join my babies,” Anna said and she actually crawled down on the floor and settled in right next to the twins. Just like the entire pantheon, Anna fell asleep within seconds.

“How the hell do they all do that?” Quinn muttered. 

“Do what?” Tori asked, coming up behind Quinn.

“They all fall asleep within a minute of lying down. I’ve had Artie fall asleep as soon as she’s finished a sentence, as if it was by design.” She did not understand how it was even possible. 

Tori chuckled. “It might be genetic. Andre can do it, too. Or maybe it’s learned behavior. Andre somehow taught it to Anna, who taught Artie, and so forth and so on. The point being, us mere mortals will never know.” Andre was actually asleep in the dining room, head tilted back in a chair at the table.

Quinn laughed. “I’d like the secret.” 

“You and me both, but I imagine they’ll hoard it like they hoard food. Speaking of food, you did a fine job here today. You pulled out all of the stops, huh?”

Quinn blushed. She didn’t expect to get so many compliments from her sides. She just wanted everyone to see she could do more than she had done last year and do proper side dishes. They expected her to make ziti again, but she was beyond that after a couple of months of whipping things up with Morgan and Yvonne. She made broccoli with cashews, which went over well, red potatoes, which were gone, and Artie got her own little special dish of quinoa and black beans, which was also gone.

“So, how are things going with you, Quinn?” Tori asked, walking off toward the den. Quinn followed and they sat down on two folding chairs there. They could talk and not disturb the others, some of whom slept surprisingly light, including Artie.

“Things are going fine. I’m doing a lot of writing.” Between the school paper, online things, and just her own general downtime, she had done quite a bit of writing. It felt really good. 

Tori nodded. “That’s good. Do you know what you’re going to do after you graduate?” 

“Hopefully get a journalism gig somewhere,” Quinn answered with a laugh. She’d follow Artie’s lead and ask her professors and advisor for help in finding such a job. Maybe it wouldn’t have to do with writing, but she hoped something would be open to her.

Tori’s face scrunched up as she studied Quinn. “No masters’ degree?” 

Quinn shrugged. “Well, I never really thought about it. I mean, I don’t really need one.”

“I suppose. But, you don’t really need a degree to write those whodunits you like so much, right?” Tori pointed out, leaning forward a little. She stared at Quinn with such intensity that Quinn squirmed in her seat a bit.

Quinn stared at the floor for a moment, searching it for a response. “Well, I had more to learn about creative writing.” 

“And you don’t have more to learn after you get your degree?” Tori’s voice was calm, but almost daring.

Quinn’s brow furrowed. So, this was what the pantheon had to deal with when they were alone with their grandmother? It explained a lot about their attitude toward school, especially Artie’s. It wasn’t a bad attitude, but it wasn’t something Quinn was used to. A degree was a means to an end, not learning for the sake of it. The whole pantheon seemed to enjoy school and knowing things just to know them, which was one of the reasons Artie was able to tutor people and write papers on a number of different subjects.

“You know, you’re an inspiration to the twins,” Tori commented.

“I am?” This was news to her, but she suspected Tori wanted her to know, so she was aware that she set an example for the twins. 

“Yes. You read their stories and encourage them to keep writing. Anything that can get Dite out of those video games and make Venus put down those damn auto magazines is a good thing,” Tori stated.

“How did Venus get into cars anyway? That seems so weird for her.” 

Tori laughed. “She is such a girly girl, isn’t she?”

“She is.” Venus was the twin who liked skirts and lipstick and nail polish, but read about the latest models of sports cars and engines like those were the only things on Earth that mattered. Sometimes, it seemed like she would go into mechanics and it was hard to picture her in coveralls with oil stains.

“I don’t know what got her into them, but she started out as a tinkerer, like Artie. She watched Artie fix things around the house, sometimes she helped, and then one day she was just into cars. Maybe one of Anna’s boyfriends was into cars. She doesn’t talk to me about those things, even though I think it’s very refreshing to see a girl who knows her way around an engine.” Tori smiled.

“I like that she and Dite are very into both of their things. Dite does more than just play those video games. She showed me earlier that she knows how to make apps of them now,” Quinn reported. Now that she thought about it, she could see Tori’s learning philosophy in many of the things the girls did. They all had a curiosity that made dive deep into their interests. They were all more knowledgeable than she expected of children their ages, but it was very cool. 

Tori nodded. “But, they’re still writing because of you. It started out as just a school thing and then you got them interested in it. I always thought it was a bit funny that in a household where everyone is named after a mythological figure, none of them were storytellers.” 

Quinn only shrugged. She wasn’t sure what else to do. She understood what Tori was doing, trying to tell her. She’d think about graduate school. There was more to learn and she was an example for younger children now. She had to take that into account. 

“I assume you’re taking good care of the big archer,” Tori said out of the blue.

“Well, I don’t think Artie needs much taking care of,” Quinn replied. 

Tori scoffed. “I think she needs the most. She’s spent her entire life taking care of others. She needs to experience other things. Artie’s basically a forty-year-old in a twenty-two-year-old’s body.”

“Well, no, she has fun. She goes out to parties sometimes and we have our friends over all the time, watching movies and just hanging out. She’s not just working all of the time anymore.” 

Nodding, Tori smiled again. “That’s good. You know, she wasn’t going to go to Parker University.”

Quinn’s eyes went wide. “What? But, she had a scholarship.” It was madness to turn down one of the country’s best schools with an academic scholarship.

Tori shook her head and glanced into the living room. “It was too far. Anna had just had the little archer and Artie was worried about them, as well as the other girls. She was scared that Diana’s father might try to come back. He was a mean bastard.” 

Quinn nodded. “She’s spoken about him a little.”

“Yeah, well, she didn’t want to leave them just in case. Of course, she’d scared him so bad, it was doubtful he was even still in the area. Hell, he probably won’t ever come back around. But, the big archer still worried.”

“Vega talked her into going?” Quinn guessed. She knew those two could push each other just right.

“It was a group effort. You know the saying ‘it takes a village’? It took a village to convince Artie. So, again, she needs someone taking care of her the most. She’s the worrier out of all of them, but I guess it comes with being a protector. I hope you’re doing a good job taking care of her. It seems like it.” 

Quinn smiled. “I’m doing my best.” She wanted to take care of Artie and try to get her to worry just a little bit less.

“That’s all anyone can ever ask. You’re a good girl, Quinn. I’m glad the big archer has you in her life. Please, keep taking good care of my granddaughter.”

Quinn nodded. She’d do her best. She was glad to have such an endorsement from Tori and also from Anna. She’d take care of Artie for the rest of her life if Artie allowed it. 

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: a call from Aphrodite prompts talks of first love between Artie and Quinn.


	51. First Love

51: First Love 

Artie yawned as she finished up some work. She stretched out and lay down on the sofa. Her moment of relaxation was interrupted as her cell phone rang, an all too familiar tune coming out. Grabbing it, she wondered which sister was calling.

“Yes, kiddo?” Artie asked. 

“Hey, Artie.” It was Aphrodite if the nervous laugh meant anything.

“What’s up?” 

“Um… I dunno if you’re all right with having this talk over the phone.” She spoke quickly, but almost giddy.

Artie cocked an eyebrow. She had a feeling where this was going. It would explain why Aphrodite sounded high anyway. “You want me to come home?” 

“No, no, no! You don’t have to, but I think you might want to sit down for this.” She was clearly moving around and Artie could only wonder where she was panicking. Probably the backyard for some privacy, or Artie was certain she would have heard Tia snickering in the background. 

Artie sighed. “I am sitting down and what’s her name?”

“What?” Aphrodite yelped.

“You sound nervous and excited at the same time. If it was a boy, you’d have called Quinn, like Venus does.” Of course, Venus didn’t think Artie knew about that. Artie let it go because Venus obviously needed someone to talk to about… boys. She preferred Venus talk about it with Quinn, whom she trusted completely, than for Venus to try to go it alone, or even worse, ask one of her knucklehead friends for advice.

“Do you enjoy being all smug and whatnot?” Aphrodite deadpanned.

Artie chuckled. “I do. Now, I’m assuming you’re freaking out because you actually like a girl.” 

“Yes! It’s so nuts, but she’s totally awesome and she’s plays softball and she sits with me at lunch and…” Aphrodite ran off details at a rapid pace.

Artie had to cut her sister off. “Are you going to take a breath?” 

Aphrodite laughed and gasped. “Yes.”

“Now, in a civil and calm manner, first tell me, is this a happy call or do I have to talk you off a ledge again?” Artie asked, shifting on the couch with the hope that it would keep anxiety from building in her stomach.  _Why do they have to grow up? I can still remembering them leaning over my shoulders while I held Tia as a baby_. 

“Uh… both?” Her voice cracked and she sounded nervous again.

Artie chuckled. “You’re happily about to jump off a building?”

“Well, no, but I feel really good liking her. Her name is Charlie. Well, Charlene, but she hates it. She thinks my name is cool.” The pride in her voice practically oozed through the phone. 

Artie sat up and smiled. First love. Even on her sister, it was cute. “So, what’s problem, oh goddess of love?”

“Well, I know Mommy wouldn’t be mean to me if I was gay. I mean, you two have been arguing a lot less lately and she hasn’t said any mean things to you and she’s kinda nice to Quinn now, so I don’t think she has an actual problem with gay people,” Aphrodite reasoned.

“That sounds about right.” Of course, she told Aphrodite that when she had her breakdown over the possibility of being gay over a year ago. It was good Aphrodite understood it now, though. It would crush their mother if Aphrodite feared her for any reason.

“Yeah, and I think the pantheon could handle it. I mean, you’re kinda gay and we love you.” 

That had Artie scratching her head. “I’m kind of gay?” She wondered if Vega had somehow gotten to her sisters. 

“Yeah, but never mind that. I know that it’s hard to be gay, even today, and I don’t know if I should make a move. I’m scared she might not like me the way I like her and then she won’t like me at all or think I’m weird or disgusting. Or what if I don’t really like her like that? I mean, I could just be awed because she’s in eleventh grade and kicks so much ass in softball!” Aphrodite yelped. “Sorry for saying ass.” 

“I’ll let it slide this time. So, eleventh grade?” Her sister had fallen for the older woman.

“Yes, eleventh. She’s shortstop. She thinks I’m a better first baseman than Venus.” 

An older woman and a flatterer. Her poor sister didn’t stand a chance. “And yet you play third whenever you can.”

“What should I do? I mean, how do I know I really like her and this isn’t some girl-crush or hero-worship or just awe? And do I tell her I like her? I mean, what do I do?” Aphrodite begged. 

“I would say give it time. Just keep hanging out with her. If you really like her and she likes you, it’ll happen naturally. And don’t label yourself unless you’re absolutely sure that’s what you are and want to be.”

“Uh… I can’t chose to be gay, Artie.”

“No shit, smart-ass,” Artie remarked before she remembered who she was speaking with. “I mean, I know you don’t have that choice. I’m just saying be sure. You don’t have to call yourself something until you’re sure.” Hell, Quinn still hadn’t label herself and Artie was fine with that. Everything didn’t need a label. Sometimes, people needed to just be and leave it at that; it was this philosophy that helped her accept her female body a few years ago. 

“Okay. I’ll do my best and I’ll try to make sure things go naturally. I won’t push.”

Artie smiled a bit. “Good. You can tell me more about her when school is over. I’ll be home soon.”

“I know! I’ll show you pictures and you can see how hot she is.”

Artie laughed. Aphrodite was going to be too much to handle once she got things together, Artie could see that coming. They bade each other farewell and Artie sighed. She’d have to have a serious talk with Aphrodite when they went home.

“Maybe I’ll just talk to both of them,” Artie sighed. 

“Both of whom?” Quinn inquired, entering the living room. She eased down next to Artie and leaned against her.

Artie put her arm around Quinn. “The twins.” 

“What happened with the twins?”

“Well, apparently, Dite is in the mitts of puppy love with an upperclassman named Charlie.” 

Quinn smiled. “That’s cute, but you and Venus both have led me to believe Dite is gay.”

“Charlie is short for Charlene.”

Quinn’s eyes went wide. “Oh.”

“So, like I said, puppy love. I hope we’re not about to watch a first crush and then a first heartbreak.” 

“First love,” Quinn sighed, smiling again and leaning closer to Artie. “I guess it would be first heartbreak.”

Artie shook her head. “Not always.”

Quinn looked up at her. “Not always?”

“My first love is turning out to be awesome with a side of wow!” Artie remarked, holding Quinn close. She leaned down and kissed her girlfriend softly. 

“Am I really your first love? I mean, you didn’t have crushes and stuff in high school?” Quinn asked.

“I had quests, missions, and even been used a few times, but not really crushes. I mean, little things in junior high, but I never expected them to go anywhere. I’ve been in lust before. A lot actually,” Artie chuckled until she noticed Quinn was not amused. The glare made her stop laughing. 

Brown eyes narrowed. “A lot, huh?”

“Forgive me for being a total whore?” Artie requested with a pout. It was not very wise to talk about her love life pre-Quinn. 

Quinn glared for a moment longer before smiling. She leaned in and kissed Artie just as gently as Artie had done to her seconds ago. “You are not a whore. You really never had a crush before?”

Artie shrugged a bit. “Like I said, I never really expected them to go anywhere. Junior high school was a confusing time for me. I still insisted I was a boy, but my body was changing and it was just weird. I liked a couple of girls, but from a far. I had other things to worry about. Did you have crushes?”

Quinn nodded. “A few. They didn’t really go anywhere. I snuck a kiss with Joey… I don’t even remember his last name. We were in the seventh grade.”

“That was your first kiss?”

“Yup. You couldn’t tell me nothing that day. I was queen of the world for whatever reason. The funny thing it was just a peck. When was your first kiss?” 

“First kiss was in kindergarten. I saved Lucy Grant from some big kids and she gave me a kiss for it.” Artie put her chin up with pride. 

Quinn chuckled. “You’ve been doing that since kindergarten, huh? I guess it’s just in your nature. Now, what do you have to talk to the twins about?”

“Just relationship stuff, dating, picking mates that respect them. I want them to know my expectations for the people they bring home. This way, they won’t be surprised when I get pissed off if they bring around people who aren’t up to code,” Artie explained quite seriously. It was also a way for them to understand almost every relationship they had seen their mother in was not the way to go without her having to badmouth their mother to them. They needed to know love was not expressed through loud voices, slamming doors, hitting, or anything else like that. 

Quinn’s brow furrowed. “You have to let them find their own path.”

“I will, but they should know what I expect and also what I think is a good mate. I think they should know. Granddad did it with me,” Artie stated, patting Quinn’s shoulder. 

Quinn arched an eyebrow. “He sat you down and told you what type of mate he expected of you?”

“Well, that and how I should treat her.” Artie laughed as she remembered the many growing up talks that she had with her grandfather. “He told me how to behave like a gentleman and he respected me enough to actually say gentleman.”

“I wonder about you as a teen. What did your grandfather talk to you about and what did your grandmother talk to you about? What was school like for you? I mean, by then, people would know that you’re not a boy and everything.”

Artie shrugged. “I was new to high school, so there were tons of people that thought I was just crazy. When I first got there, the only thing that actually let them know I was female was because I got stuck in a girl’s gym class. The first few days of gym, the girls freaked out and thought I was a boy in their locker room, but eventually they were able to work out that my body was female. I still maintained I was a boy.” 

Quinn nodded. “Because as far as you were concerned, you were, right?”

“Right. They’d make fun of me and shit, but it’s kind of hard to say dumb shit when your mouth is bleeding or you’re spitting out a tooth.” 

“You hit girls?”

“Oh, no! Never, no matter how much shit they popped. These were the boys. I got into a lot of fights early on, but only with guys. I’d never hit a girl, no matter what, even though they could be particularly nasty. Either I won the fight or just came back until I did. I had people try to jump me and then Vega would come in and we were just twin terrors. They’d pick on her and I’d come in, they’d pick on me and she’d come in. After our freshmen year, people knew to believe me for what I was or get laid the fuck out.” 

Quinn frowned. “That had to be hard.”

She waved that off. “Nah. By then, I was used to fighting. Remember, my mom had stupid boyfriends.” 

“I try not to think about that,” Quinn admitted. “Did you have to fight a lot of them?” 

“I wouldn’t say a lot, but one is more than enough in my opinion. You don’t have to think about it. It’s in the past and I think my mom is trying to figure out how to be single, but not alone.”

Quinn nodded. “Because she’s not alone. We’re all there.” 

Artie grinned. “Yeah, we are all there.” Tilting her head, she regarded Quinn. “What about you?”

Quinn raised an eyebrow. “What about me?” 

“What about you in high school?”

Quinn made a face as if Artie was insane for even asking. “What? I had normal high school life. Boyfriend, decent grades, and friends, who I did regular high school stuff with. I went to parties every now and then. Hell, I worked on the yearbook in my senior year and before that I was on the school paper. I’ve never had a fight in my life. Yes, people have talked about me and I’ve talked about people, but eventually stuff would blow over.”

Artie pulled Quinn’s legs into her lap. “You talked about people?” She was skeptical.

“Yes. There were a couple of girls that got on my nerves in high school and I hated them with all the hate you can expect of a high school girl. I’m not totally pure and innocent, Artie,” Quinn said, gently swatting at Artie gently. 

Artie kissed Quinn’s ear, earning a moan and shudder. “You are to me. My pure and innocent princess. My first and only love.”

Quinn cooed and cuddled into her. Artie held her tight while Quinn caressed her stomach. The subtle attention made Artie sigh and purr. Her first love. She wanted this to be her last love.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: the couple repeats a trip and it doesn’t end like the first one.


	52. Surprise, Surprise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains two women in an intimate situation. If that’s not your thing, come back for the next chapter.

52: Surprise, Surprise

Christmas break was upon them and Artie was also on break from her job, having two weeks to hang out with her sisters. It wasn’t what she was used to, but she’d adjust. Soon, she’d live in the real world full time and wouldn’t have so many breaks to be around them. She wondered how she’d handle it, but she knew she would handle it, especially if Quinn remained by her side. 

“You ready to go, baby?” Quinn asked, poking her head out of the car window. Artie loaded their bags in the trunk.

“I am. Sorry for taking so long. Got lost in my own thoughts for a second,” Artie replied as she closed the trunk and went to the driver’s seat. She sighed as the heat warmed her.

“Thinking about what?” Quinn inquired curiously as Artie pulled out of the school parking lot.

“The future, being an adult, figuring out how I’ll be able to keep seeing my sisters.”

Quinn’s creamy forehead wrinkled. “Isn’t the plan to live near them? In the same town?”

Artie nodded. “I’d like to, but we never really discussed it. I mean, would you be fine with that? I don’t want to force you to live someplace you don’t want to.”

Taking Artie’s hand, Quinn smiled and squeezed. “Baby, I’d be honored. They’re my family, too.”

Artie grinned. “So, next year we can look for an apartment there?”

“Well, not next year. I’m going to go to grad school.”

“Really? That’s great! So, after that?”

Quinn nodded. “I’d like that.”

Artie squeezed Quinn’s hand.  _I love this woman so much and I don’t think she even realizes that every day I fall in love with her just a little more_. She wondered if it was like that with Quinn. She could ask, but she liked the mystery. She’d rather look for clues than have a direct answer.

“Did you manage to get the same room?” Artie asked to make conversation. 

Quinn pouted. “No, that room was booked. It’s all right. I think we’ll like this room. And before you ask, yes, I told the girls we’d be a couple of days late.”

“Why do they even have our schedule to know exactly when we get out of school?” Artie pretended to groan. Of course, she was the one that gave her sisters her schedule. It comforted them to know where she was and what she was up to. It also let them know the best time to contact her or Quinn if they needed something. 

Quinn laughed. “Gee, I wonder why.”

Artie made a face, but didn’t deny the charge. On the way to their detour before going home, they spoke about what they wanted to get the girls for Christmas. Quinn also brought up the idea of her grandparents coming for a visit there, adding it as a stop on their Christmas odyssey. 

“They can, but I hope you told them they have to get a hotel room. This isn’t like when they come visit the apartment,” Artie replied. Quinn’s grandparents had come by quite a few times, staying with them and they’d give up their bed as long as it wasn’t all four of the grandparents at the same time.

“Oh, no, trust me, I explained there is absolutely zero space at the house. But, they wouldn’t have imposed anyway. They plan to get a hotel room. They just wanted to know if it was all right for them to visit.”

Artie nodded. She wouldn’t mind them coming. Now that she had seen more of them, they seemed all right. They definitely cared about Quinn’s happiness and they were really good for Quinn. Her sisters would probably enjoy meeting Quinn’s grandparents. It would be like their families coming together, which would probably be funny and awkward.

She put that out of her mind as they arrived at the bed and breakfast. The sign “Amenity Bed and Breakfast” hanging in front of the place swayed in the slight winter breeze, waving to them like an old friend. They both smiled. 

The place was just as Artie remembered from last year. Quaint and welcoming with some snow on the ground and bare trees surrounding the area. She grabbed their bags while Quinn rushed inside out of the cold to get everything squared away. Her cheeks were adorably red from just a few seconds outside. Artie followed Quinn to their room.

“Holy crap,” Quinn muttered. “This isn’t the room I saw online.”

Artie grinned. No, it wasn’t the room that Quinn booked. She’d gone behind Quinn’s back and changed their reservation, booking a larger room with bigger and better everything. She looked forward to not being scrunched up in the tub if Quinn wanted to take a bath together, which she hoped was on the agenda. Quinn ended up inspecting the fireplace, which had a fire going inside, and then noticed a bottle of wine on the coffee table.

“Baby, do you think this is a mistake?” Quinn asked, turning to Artie. 

“Nope,” Artie simply answered, putting their bag down by the bed. She hung her jacket up on a hook on the door.

“How could it not be a mistake? This room has to be way more expensive than the one I booked,” Quinn said, eyes scanning the room, taking everything in. 

Artie chuckled and moved behind Quinn, unzipping her coat. She kissed Quinn’s ear before moving away and hanging up her coat. Quinn stared at her and folded her arms across her chest. 

“What aren’t you telling me?” Quinn asked, narrowing her gaze onto Artie.

“Nothing, except that you’re wearing too many clothes,” Artie answered, standing in front of Quinn. She put her hands on Quinn’s hips and leaned down, kissing her sweetly on the mouth.

Quinn pouted, but she kissed Artie back. “Are you going to tell me?” 

“Not now. Maybe when you’re naked and exhausted, I’ll tell you.”

Quinn didn’t object to that and Artie wasted no time getting them both naked. They didn’t even make it to the bed, Artie needing to have her hands and mouth on her lover. Kissing Quinn with only brief pauses for air and allowing Quinn to moan, Artie’s hands roamed Quinn’s soft body. One hand settled on Quinn’s breast, enjoying the weight and feel of incredibly wonderful flesh. Her other hand made its home between Quinn’s increasing slick and silky thighs. Quinn let out an adorable moan as Artie eased into her. 

“I love being inside you,” Artie whispered, caressing Quinn inside and out, enjoying each little noise from Quinn. “I love being able to do this to you.” Her thumb slid up and down Quinn’s clit.

Quinn’s knees wobbled and Artie had to move her hand from Quinn’s breast to her back, making sure to hold her up while keeping her rhythm. Groaning, Artie sucked on Quinn’s earlobe, causing Quinn to almost crash against her. Quinn’s hips moved frantically against Artie’s fingers now and Artie did her best to give Quinn exactly what she wanted.

Artie took Quinn to the peak of pleasure right there in the middle of the room. Quinn let out a cute little coo as her body fluttered around Artie’s fingers. It felt amazing as always.

“God, you’re wonderful,” Quinn panted, body pressed against Artie’s muscular form. It felt so delicious. Artie would hold Quinn like this for the rest of their lives if possible, but Quinn had other plans. 

When they were on the bed, Artie found herself on her back with Quinn kissing her way down her body. Purring, she ran one hand through Quinn’s hair while propping herself up on her other hand. She watched as Quinn paused at her breasts, taking a moment to adore them. She knew Quinn had a thing for her breasts, but she really, really needed her girlfriend to go a little lower. Letting out a whiny groan, Quinn seemed to get the hint. At the feel of Quinn’s tongue, she threw her hand back and groaned. 

“God, baby, I love your mouth,” Artie sighed, her breath hitched as Quinn touched a particular sweet spot with her extremely awesome tongue. She caressed Quinn’s head in encouragement as pleasure coursed through her.

Glancing down, brown eyes focused on her. Artie managed a smile before a long purr rolled out of her mouth as Quinn did wickedly beautiful things with her tongue. She could see an impish delight in those chocolate eyes and then a jolt went through her. She gasped and her eyes slid close. She decided to just feel all of the marvelous things Quinn could do to her body. Before she knew it, she let out a sharp cry as colors exploded behind her eyelids. 

“That’s not all,” Quinn commented before going right back to work. Artie mewed as Quinn’s mouth worked on her and a finger slid into her. 

Quinn didn’t let up until Artie had to gently push her away. Quinn chuckled wickedly and crawled up Artie’s body with a devilish glint in her brown eyes. Artie wrapped her arms around Quinn as soon as Quinn settled down next to her. She caressed Quinn’s hip, once again enjoying the press of their bodies together. Quinn’s warm, soft body was like heaven against her.

They shared a long, lazy kiss, lips gliding against each other while their tongues danced. It felt like they kissed for all eternity, which would have been fine, but Artie wanted more. She always wanted more of Quinn.

“Ready again?” Artie inquired with a grin. She was tempted to get her strap-on, but she didn’t want to get out of bed just yet. She wanted to taste, touch, and feel Quinn before basically fucking her like there was no tomorrow; of course, she wouldn’t tell Quinn that. 

“You are insatiable,” Quinn laughed, fingertips run along Artie’s side.

“No, you’re just delicious!” Artie rolled, so she was on top of Quinn. Quinn laughed again until Artie covered her mouth in a deep kiss. Quinn responded, her tongue caressing Artie’s. They both moaned. Quinn wrapped her legs around Artie’s waist and Artie wasted no time caressing Quinn where they both wanted. 

-8-8-8-8-

Quinn wasn’t sure when they fell asleep, but she woke up with Artie already awake and stroking her hair. She smiled, remembering how Artie had a thing for her hair, and pulled Artie closer to her. Artie kissed her forehead. Artie had been tender with her the last couple of lovemaking sessions, tender and energetic. She touched something deep inside Quinn and Quinn felt like that made her go to sleep. She couldn’t quite fathom it and it exhausted her in an instant.

“We should probably eat something,” Artie said in a low tone, like the mood called for near whispers.

“Can we just lay here for a while?” Quinn caressed Artie’s stomach. She just wanted to be near Artie, share the same space, the same air, and exist. 

“If that’s what you want. We’ll do anything you want.”

Quinn sniffled and kissed Artie’s shoulder before settling her head against it. They lay there quietly before Artie offered her a chocolate. She sat up, just enough to eat the bit of candy. Her stomach was happy to have something in it, but still, she preferred to just stay curled against her lover.

“Where did these come from?” Quinn asked. 

“Compliments of the room. They were on the nightstand,” Artie answered, nodding in that direction.

“No strawberries this time?” 

“There are strawberries. A lot more than before. Is that what you want?”

Quinn shook her head. “We can have those later. Maybe sit by the fire.” 

Artie squeezed her just a little closer. “Sounds good. We can have wine, strawberries, and watch the fire.”

“Yes,” Quinn agreed in a dreamy tone.

Artie fed her another chocolate. She returned the favor and Artie ate the chocolate, even though she didn’t usually eat chocolate. They ate about half of the box before Quinn dragged Artie into the bathroom for a bath. The room had large garden bathtub with jets, which Quinn put to good use.

“I’m glad we decided to come back here,” Quinn sighed as she settled against Artie’s chest. 

“Me, too.” Artie put her hands around Quinn’s waist and drew tight circles at the base of Quinn’s spine. It sent little sparks right up Quinn’s back.

“Now, how did we end up with this room?” 

Artie chuckled. “I just called and upgraded us.”

“Why? I thought you wanted our old room.” 

“I did. I called to see what room we had and when I found out we didn’t have our old room, I upgraded.”

Quinn found this odd. “Why?” It seemed like a waste of money, money that Artie didn’t have to waste.

“I’ll explain it later. For now, let’s just relax in the tub.” 

Quinn decided to let it go. Clearly Artie was open to explaining these changes, but she wanted to do them in steps for whatever reason. Quinn enjoyed the closeness and the slow circles Artie drew on the small of her back. Her fingertips wandered up and down Artie’s sides.

“Is this going to be our tradition?” Quinn asked.

“I’d like that.”

Quinn nodded because she’d like it, too. They stayed in the bath until the water cooled down. They kissed, caressed, and fooled around until they silently decided to get out. Artie wrapped herself in a robe while Quinn slipped on one of Artie’s t-shirts. 

“You go sit by the fire and I’ll get the strawberries and the wine,” Artie said.

Quinn nodded and grabbed a quilt from the bed. She sat the quilt on the floor, even though there was a rug by the fireplace, but she could only imagine how many people probably had sex on that rug. And while she was sure it had been laundered more than enough, she still would rather not sit on it. Instead, she sat on top of the quilt. Artie took a little bit longer to bring the wine and strawberries, but Quinn didn’t think anything of it.

“Here you go,” Artie said, handing Quinn a glass of wine. 

“Thank you,” Quinn replied, wondering why Artie hadn’t sat down.

Artie eased down onto a knee and placed the basket of strawberries down between them. Quinn didn’t think anything of it, but it seemed odd for Artie to stay in that position. Artie put her glass of wine down, but didn’t sit. 

“Baby, are you going to stay like that all night?” Quinn teased.

“No, not all night, at least I hope not,” Artie replied with a laugh. 

“So, sit down.”

“Not just yet.”

Quinn’s face scrunched up. “Why not?” 

“Because I have something I want to say and it’s best said in this position,” Artie explained with a small smile and a strange glint sparkling in her russet eyes. “The reason I wanted this room is because I wanted everything to be perfect when I did this.”

Quinn’s insides froze and she gasped. Artie couldn’t possibly be doing what she thought Artie was doing, right? It was too soon in their relationship, right? She was not sure, but her heart raced just the same and butterflies fluttered in her stomach.

“Quinn, everyday, I fall more in love with you. Everything about you is just mind-blowing and incredible, from your big heart to you intelligence to your ability to take things in stride to your simple acceptance of me and my many faults. You are the perfect woman for me. You get along with my sisters, my mother, and my grandparents. You love them like your own and accept them as part of my life and made them part of your own. You know what I need, be it a kiss to brighten my day or a kick in the ass to get me moving, and you happily give me both and everything in between. I couldn’t ask for more and I don’t want more. You make me feel special. It’s amazing to me that someone as wonderful as you would even give me the time of day. I don’t know what someone like you sees in me, but I hope you always see it and I hope I make you feel even a fraction of what you do for me. I want to spend the rest of my life loving and being loved by you. I want to let you know how great you are for the rest of my life. I want to always be there for you, so I would be honored if you would marry me,” Artie actually proposed. She pulled a ring from her robe pocket and held it up.

“Yes,” Quinn breathed without thinking. She did not need to think. 

Artie blinked. “Did you hear what I said?”

“Did you hear what I said?” Quinn countered. 

“I did, but you answered really quickly.”

“Did you expect a different answer?” Quinn asked with a small smile. 

Artie shook her head. “No.”

“Then, please, slide the ring on my finger and then drink a toast with me before we go back to bed to celebrate,” Quinn said with a smile. 

“Yes, ma’am.” Artie did as ordered.

Quinn felt her chest tighten as Artie put the simple gold band with diamonds all around it on her finger. They took a sip of wine before Quinn threw herself on Artie. They were getting married!

-8-8-8-8- 

Next time: the pantheon’s and Anna’s reactions to the engagement.


	53. Growth Spurts

53: Growth Spurts

The pantheon immediately noticed the ring on Quinn’s finger. She was barely out of her coat before Venus was holding her hand and Aphrodite practically had her naked eye on the ring. Tia tried to push Aphrodite out of the way, but couldn’t do it since Aphrodite was almost Artie’s height now.

“So, you’re getting married now?” Venus asked, eyes locked on Quinn. She smiled so brightly, like this was the best news she ever heard. It warmed Quinn for them to be so happy for her. 

“Well, she asked and I said yes, so I guess so,” Quinn replied, trying to be nonchalant. She shrugged and smiled. A giggle erupted out of nowhere, so it blew her too cool act. Her smile turned into a full-fledge grin and she stood a little taller.

“That is awesome!” Aphrodite cheered, clapping Quinn on the back roughly, causing Quinn to fall forward a little. She probably didn’t realize she was stronger along with being taller. 

“I’m glad you approve.” Quinn smiled brightly. It was wonderful that the twins approved, but the younger sisters appeared confused. Tia actually looked a little upset. They’d probably have to sit down and talk to her.

“Wait, so, you’d be married like Nana and Granddad?” Juno asked, trying to make sense of this news. Quinn could hardly believe that was the only example Juno had for a married couple, but that seemed to be the case. 

“Yeah, just like that,” Artie confirmed with a grin. She seemed almost ready to bounce on her heels, but managed to stay still to a point. She flopped down on the couch, still smiling from ear to ear.

“Then, you’d live away for us, just like them?” Tia asked with a pout. 

“Well, we kind of already to do live away, but that’s just a part of growing up, Tia. One day, you’re going to move out, too,” Artie explained, pulling Tia down to her level. She put a hand on Tia’s shoulder. “It doesn’t make us stop being family.”

Quinn jumped in when Tia’s expression didn’t lift. “Plus, we want to live close, anyway. We want to be able to see you guys and we want you to be able to see us.” 

“Awesome!” Venus grinned and gave her twin a high five.

“Closer than Nana and Granddad?” Juno asked. Their grandparents lived less than a half-hour away, but that was forever as far as Juno and Diana were concerned. 

“We’ll see,” Artie answered.

“Does that really mean no?” Diana asked. 

“Of course not, Piglet. It just means we’ll have to wait and see because we don’t know where any apartments or houses might be open,” Quinn explained. Diana looked up at her with big eyes, clearly not understanding.

“So, is Quinn gonna be our sister, too?” Diana asked, climbing onto Artie. 

“Yes, the seventh goddess,” Artie declared, grinning at Quinn.

“I dunno. We can’t really just take anyone on the pantheon,” Aphrodite teased. 

“Yeah, you can. You guys literally cannot pick who is a member,” Quinn pointed out.

The reply got a snicker from the twins. The girls went back to marveling over the ring. Artie smiled at her and then glanced at the stairs. Quinn nodded. Artie was going to speak to her mother. 

-8-8-8-8-

Artie took a deep breath as she climbed the stairs to her mother’s bedroom. She wasn’t sure how her mother would talk the news. Anna and Quinn got along now, but a girlfriend was different from a fiancée. She hoped her mother didn’t regress.

Artie entered the room, not bothering to knock. Her mother was facedown in her pillow, softly snoring. She was buried under two blankets, despite the heat through out the house. When Artie closed the door, Anna jumped up, one eye open with her hair all over the place. 

“What happened?” Anna murmured.

“Your reaction time is getting slower,” Artie commented with a smile. Her mother typically was a light sleeper, which she guessed came from being a mother. She remembered a time when her mother would wake up before one of them even got to the door. 

Anna rubbed her eye and turned over onto her side to face the door. “Artie?”

“Yes, Mom. We called.” 

Anna nodded slowly. “Oh, yes. I worked early the past few days, so I’m really tired.”

Artie sighed and sat down on the bed. Anna settled back down, but continued looking at Artie. She rubbed her mother’s back. 

“Why the overtime?” Artie asked.

“Trying to grab a promotion and save money for when the twins go to college,” Anna answered.

Artie nodded. “With luck, they’ll manage some scholarships and grants.” They had started savings accounts years ago for all of the girls, but still it wasn’t enough for four years of college. “But, I have some news. Do you think you’re ready for it? The pantheon knows so they’ll blurt it out as soon as you come downstairs and that’s if we’re lucky.” There was always the likely chance of the girls just rushing upstairs and telling their mother about what happened once they were done admiring Quinn’s ring. 

Anna turned over all the way and sat up. “Then you better tell me now.”

Taking a deep breath, Artie nodded. “I asked Quinn to marry me and she said yes.” 

Her mother was silent, her eyes searching the blankets. Artie’s stomach rolled, anticipating a tantrum. She hoped her mother didn’t do anything drastic, or say anything too hurtful. She especially didn’t want the girls to hear. God, Aphrodite had only just come to the conclusion that it was all right to be gay. 

And then there was Quinn. She might actually change her mind if she thought she was coming between Artie and her mother. Or she might decide dealing with Anna hating her again was just too much.

It seemed like Anna might not say anything, which made Artie even more nervous. “Mom?” her voice was lower than usual.  _Shit, is Mom gonna have a breakdown or is she going to kick us out?_  

Anna took a deep breath before she finally said something. “I had been trying to prepare myself for this moment. I knew it was coming, but I didn’t think it would be so soon.”

“How… how do you feel about it?” Artie had to swallow around a lump in her throat.

“Scared,” Anna answered immediately, staring at Artie with wide eyes. “Scared out of my fucking mind. What am I going to do without you?” 

Artie reached out for her mother’s hand and squeezed while offering her mother a reassuring smile. “You’re never going to be without me, Mom. I’m always here for you and for the girls. My plan is to stay local, anyway, which Quinn agrees with. And you’ll be fine. If I can find somebody, Mom, you can, too. You have to keep an open mind and you don’t have to settle. You can rest assured, though, that I’m gong to be here, for you and the girls. Always. You can’t get rid of me.” Artie gave her mother a lopsided grin.

Anna laughed, but she sniffled a bit. It looked like she would cry, but she managed to hold it in. “Well, in that case, I’m glad. Quinn takes good care of you and I know she puts up with a lot from you, even though you are a good partner. She’s a good partner to you.”

“I’m glad you feel like that.” Artie craned an eyebrow. “How did you get to this point?”

Anna tittered and playfully slapped Artie in the shoulder. “I can be open-minded!”

“What did she do to change your mind?” This question has burned Artie. Quinn seemed to think they connected when she told Anna that this family was all she had, just like Anna. Artie wasn’t sure if she totally believed. Her mother was not likely to let things go so easily. 

Sighing, Anna reached up and brushed some of Artie’s hair back. “It was you, Art. I see how happy you are with her and I’ve seen it for a while. At first, I couldn’t deal with it, which is why I blew up at you, but after a while, I realized how selfish I was being, like you said. I knew you were right. I felt so angry with myself for crying that she was taking you from me. How dare I try to stand in the way of your happiness? How selfish.”

Artie held in a gasp. Her mother was not usually so insightful when it came to her, especially in regards of things that she herself screamed at her mother. Her mother was usually selfish when it came to her and she tended give in to her mother’s desires, which she knew only made matters worse. Her mother was growing up with her.

“Besides, I’m happy you were able to get into a healthy relationship. I know I haven’t set a good example on that front. You’ve managed to best me,” Anna chuckled and rubbed Artie’s shoulder again.

Artie reached up and patted her mother’s hand. “It’s not a contest, Mom. And, besides, you’re doing well in everything else. I’d like to be a parent like you. Maybe not with me, but with the pantheon. You make sure they have what they need. You love them unconditionally. You do your best to build their self-esteem and you do your best to make sure they’ve got good childhoods. You bust your ass for them and make sure they want for nothing.” 

Shaking her head a little, Anna sighed. “I should’ve done that with you, too. I’ve said so many hurtful things to you and pushed you into a role you shouldn’t have to fill.”

“You have, but that’s the past. I said hurtful things, too, and done hurtful things. All we have proven is that we suck as a married couple. I’ve never been upset to be your daughter, only your husband,” Artie remarked, but it was the truth. 

Anna managed a laugh. “I hope Quinn is a better wife to you.”

“Thanks, Mom.” 

“Don’t thank me. I’m your mother. I want you to be happy.”

Artie grinned. “You’re awesome.” She leaned down and hugged her mother. Anna kissed her on the cheek and Artie smiled. “All right. Go back to sleep.”

Anna nodded and was asleep by the time Artie was out the door. Artie felt like she floated downstairs. Her sisters were still hanging on Quinn and admiring her ring. Quinn looked up and locked eyes with her. Artie grinned and Quinn smiled in understanding. Now, Artie felt like she might just float off into space. She was getting married to a wonderful woman and her mother was happy for her. Could this be any more awesome? She doubted it.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Vega’s reaction to the news.


	54. The Favorite

54: The Favorite

“Dude, what the fuck?” Vega huffed, shoving Artie and making her fall into a pile of snow. It had stormed last night and Artie always shoveled when she was around. She called Vega for help because it was no easy task to shovel the walkway, sidewalk, and driveway with over a foot of snow. It was probably going to be a bad winter. She considered this job was going to go to the twins when she was not around. They would hate it.

“What the fuck indeed?” Artie snorted as she climbed up and threw snow in Vega’s face.

Vega flinched and spit, wiping the snow out of her eyes. “How dare you call me to shovel and that’s how I find out you got engaged? What the hell?”

“What do you mean ‘what the hell’? Why would I tell you something like that over the phone, especially when you’re coming over?” Artie pointed out.

“That’s not the point. You should’ve told me you were thinking about it. I would’ve talked some sense into you.”

Artie’s brow wrinkled, moving her wool cap a little. “What the hell are you talking about? Talk some sense into me how?” She suspected Vega would’ve tried to convince her that proposing was a bad idea, but she also suspected it had very little to do with her and a lot more to do with Vega.

“You’ve only been together a year.” Vega leaned on her shovel handle.

Artie narrowed her eyes on her best friend, studying Vega, and leaned against her own shovel.  _This definitely has to do more with her than me, but I’ll let her walk into that one_. “A year and a half, but I can’t see myself with anyone else.”

“So?”

Artie shook her head and turned to the next patch that needed work. She gave Vega a sidelong glance before going back to shoveling. “What’s wrong? You worried your father is going to start pestering you to marry Tega once my mother tells him I’m engaged? Or is it that you’re worried Tega is in there, fawning over Quinn’s ring?”

Vega snorted and gave Artie a gloved finger. “I’m not proposing.”

Artie shook her head. “Why not?”

“Because I’m not. That’s just not happening.” Vega picked up her shovel and laid it across her shoulders before going back to moving the snow.

Artie turned up her mouth. “I never get this about you. I know you love Tega with all of your heart and soul. Your father is totally behind your relationship. You know you’re not going to give her up. You guys have this wonderful life ahead of you. So, what the hell?”

“Because I need Tega to stay with me, not because we’re married, but because she loves me,” Vega answered as if that was obvious.

“Uh, bro, she does love you. Do you really think someone would stay with a spoiled crank like you and  _not_  love you?” Artie inquired with a laugh. “In fact, that’s probably the only thing that keeps us all around you.”

Vega sneered at her. “But, what if one day she doesn’t? If we get married, she’d stay with me no matter what. Her family is serious about those vows, so serious.” She shook her head. “Look at her Aunt Maria. You know, that bastard she’s married to hits her, but she stays with him because they’re married. And her Uncle Raul. God, he knows that damned woman is cheating on him, one of his babies might not even be his, and he stays. Hell, even her brother. I mean, the guy’s awesome and the woman he’s married to is a freaking shrew, but he’d never leave her. I don’t want that with Tega. I don’t want her to stay with me just to stay.” She shook her head again.

Artie scoffed. “You wouldn’t have that with her, though. You’re never going to hit Tega and she’s never going to cheat on you and visa versa. Neither of you is a shrew in any sense of the word. I mean, yeah, you tease each other, but it’s not malicious. You love her, Vega, and marriage is the way to express that. It shows you want to take things to another level.”

Rolling her eyes, Vega scoffed. “It traps her.”

“No, it doesn’t. You know you can’t stay like this forever and I doubt Tega would stay forever if you tried to keep things the same for the rest of your lives. Imagine being fifty and still introducing her as your girlfriend.”

“I’d call her my partner.” Like this somehow made it better.

“And what do you do when someone asks if you’re married? Keep saying no? ‘No, we’re not married, but we’ve been together for thirty years and on the same level as we have been since we were freaking eighteen’? Oh, yeah, that’s cool.” Artie rolled her eyes.

Vega snorted, puffs of air visible in the cold weather. “It’s not like that.”

“Vega, this sounds like you don’t believe your relationship will survive. I mean, you think somehow if you get married, Tega’s gonna fall out of love with you and then just stay with you to stay because she doesn’t believe in divorce? You can’t believe you’re gonna be that horrible in the future,” Artie insisted. Vega was one of the best people she knew or had ever met. She couldn’t see her changing for the worse unless something drastic happened.

“I’m not saying I am, but just in case things go bad, Tega will have this out. She’d never divorce me and I can’t do that to her,” Vega insisted.

“But, if things got that bad, you’d give her the out, Vega. You’d divorce her or you’d at least separate from her. You’d never hurt her. We all know that.”

Vega frowned. “I’d do my best, but I can’t lock her in. I just can’t. Besides, marriage is just a piece of paper. I’m committed to Yvonne. She knows that.”

“If you don’t marry her, you’re never going to have an actual family. Besides, she knows you won’t marry her because you think you’re trapping her, but if you propose, she’ll see you’ve gotten over this notion and you have so much faith in your love that you don’t think she’ll ever need to leave anyway,” Artie reasoned. 

“Family?” Vega echoed with a distant look in her eyes. A small smile worked its way onto her face briefly.

“Yeah, family. You think Tega’s gonna have kids with you outside of marriage? I think not.” Artie wagged her finger in Vega’s face. She knew the idea of having a family held a special place in Vega’s heart because for so long it had always just been Vega and her father. 

Vega made a face. “I’ll think about it.”

Artie scoffed. “You’ll think about it?” She went back to moving the snow. 

Vega snarled, but didn’t say anything. They didn’t speak about the subject anymore as they worked. But, that didn’t stop them from playing in the snow as well.

-8-8-8-8-

“That is a gorgeous ring,” Yvonne commented, sitting with Quinn in the living room. The girls were at school, so they actually had the place to themselves, not counting the fact that Anna was asleep upstairs. Being alone in the house was something that wouldn’t happen again after today for a week and a half.

Quinn grinned proudly. She couldn’t help herself. “It is, isn’t it? You know what else was gorgeous?”

For the moment, Yvonne’s eyes managed to leave the ring and focus on Quinn’s face. “What?”

“I called my grandparents to tell them right after we told the girls and they said they knew. Artie had actually called them and asked all of them if they were all right with her proposing,” Quinn reported, bouncing with glee. 

Yvonne chuckled. “And Artie thinks I’m old fashion.”

“I’m glad she did. She thinks my grandparents don’t like her, but they gave her their blessing and every one of them thanked her for taking care of me and letting me know that I matter. Can you believe that?” Quinn asked. 

“That is very sweet of her and very sweet of them for thanking her.”

Quinn grinned and balled her hands into fists, shaking them as if doing a dance in her seat. For a moment, the memory dominated her thoughts and then she noticed Yvonne glancing out of the window. She looked and saw Artie and Vega “working.” They were now shoveling snow on each other. They would be soaked and hungry when they came in. Hopefully, the shoveling would be done, too. 

“We should make them some tea and grilled cheese sandwiches soon,” Quinn said. 

Yvonne nodded, eyes still out the window. “Yes, and call them in. They’ll goof off out there all day if we let them.” She sighed and her shoulders slumped. Clearly, something weighed heavily on her.

“Would you accept if she asked you?” Quinn nodded toward the window, even though Yvonne wasn’t looking at her.

“In a heartbeat,” Yvonne replied in a whisper. She wrapped her arms around herself. Quinn put her hand on Yvonne’s shoulder and pulled her in for a little hug.

“Do you think she’ll ever ask?” Quinn asked, looking out at their significant others. Sometimes, it was a little surprising to see what a big kid Vega could be when she was with Artie. 

Yvonne smiled. “At her own speed. Vega moves at her own speed. I might’ve manipulated her a little to get her to ask me out, but I’d never do that now. She’ll do it when she’s ready. I’ll be here when she’s ready.”

Quinn patted Yvonne’s knee. “But, you want her to be ready now.” 

“I’ve wanted her to be ready for years, but I always knew she wouldn’t be. Artie, on the other hand, I knew once she fell in love, it would be full throttle with her. She loves you wholeheartedly,” Yvonne replied with a smile.

Quinn smiled, too. “I know.” 

“I’m glad she found you. Artie holds a special place in my heart. It’s good to see her so happy.” 

Quinn tilted her head. “What did she do to get so close to you? I’m not jealous and I know you’re too in love with Vega to try anything with Artie, but what makes Artie the favorite?”

Yvonne laughed. “A lot of little things. They’re so much alike, but Artie is just more personable. Honestly, she’s teasing when she says she’s the favorite, but like I said, she does have a special place in my heart. The thing that cemented it for me, though, was Artie is the one that pushed me to go to college.”

Quinn’s mouth dropped open. “What?” She couldn’t believe that was an issue. She also couldn’t believe Vega hadn’t jumped on that one. 

“Yeah. I hadn’t planned on it, especially not Parker University. Are you freaking kidding me? I thought it would be easier to go to the moon. My family is all working class. My dad, my brothers, and uncles are all mechanics. My mom’s a secretary. One of my aunts drives a school bus and another works in the post office. I’ve got a couple of cousins who are court officers, but that’s the furthest we’ve gone as far as professional is concerned. I always thought that if my family knew I had dreams of being a lawyer, they’d laugh me out of the family.”

Quinn smiled, feeling like she knew where this was going. “You told Artie about this, huh?”

“I did. She’s always been easy to talk to. She never judgmental and she’ll at least pad the truth for you while Vega just sort of bludgeons you with it. She talked to me in detail about it. The next thing I know, my whole family knows I want to be a lawyer and they’re all trying to put together an emergency college fund. I still had to get loans, but not as much and they’re all helping to pay off the loans, so I don’t end up completely in debt. Artie actually filled out my application and started my essay for me, wanting to make sure I went to Parker with them. I remember when she said it because Vega looked so pissed and she stormed off when I threw myself in Artie’s arms.”

Quinn’s forehead wrinkled as she took in the tale. “Were you together yet?” It would explain why Vega had been so mad, having Artie do so much for her girlfriend. 

Yvonne smiled, obviously taken with the memory. “This is what brought us together. I was so happy and I couldn’t let her get away. I chased Vega and asked her what was wrong. She admitted that she hated that she hadn’t been the one to help, hated that it hadn’t crossed her mind, hated that I liked Artie so much more than her. I kissed the big idiot right then and there, in the middle of a crowded park.” 

Laughing, Quinn imagined how shock Vega must have been. “What did she do when you pulled away?”

Yvonne amusingly made her eyes wide and raised her hands. “She goes ‘but, I thought you liked Artie’ in this very confused voice with the cutest, but dumbest expression ever. I laughed and kissed her again. It took her a day to realize that meant I liked her and she asked me out,” Yvonne reported with a smile and Quinn laughed. “Like I said, she goes at her own pace. I couldn’t love her slow self any more if I tried.” 

“That’s sweet.”

Yvonne nodded. “So, eventually, you’ll be admiring a ring on me, but it’s your moment now. Although, I get the feeling Vega will actually want to elope when she gets around to this marriage thing.” 

“You’ll be all right with that?”

“As long as we can have a reception. I need to be able to invite my family to something or there’ll be hell to pay. What about you? What type of wedding do you want?” 

Quinn rubbed her chin in thought. “I’m not sure. I always envisioned this with a guy and my family at least pretending it mattered that I was getting married, but now I have to reevaluate. I want something outside, though.”

“Well, you know Morgan and I would love to tackle this with you.” 

Quinn grinned. “I do look forward to that.” She then glanced out of the window, checking on their lovers. Unsurprisingly, the pair was engaged in a full-blown snowball fight now. “Hopefully, we’ll at least be able to get them to show up to the wedding.”

Yvonne looked out and laughed. “We’ll consider it a victory that Vega doesn’t curse in her best man speech or throw something at Artie.” Quinn nodded and laughed right along with her. 

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: wedding discussions.


	55. Wedding Talks

55: Wedding Talks

It was her last semester in undergrad, but Quinn already to come back to Parker University for a master’s degree. She applied and her advisor assured her that she’d be accepted. The decision was made in part because of Tori speaking with her and the fact that the pantheon looked up to her and she wanted to set a good example. There was also the fact that she wanted to know more about writing and literature. Not to mention Artie had one more degree she wanted, so she’d be at school for at least another year.

Even though it was her final term of undergrad, Quinn wasn’t worried about it. She was more concerned with planning her wedding with Artie, even though Artie wasn’t much help in the planning department. It wasn’t that Artie didn’t want to help, but she didn’t have much of an opinion on anything. Artie didn’t know anything about flowers, she didn’t care about food because she’d eat anything, and she already decided she was wearing a tux, so there was no gown to pick out.  _Of course, that’s not surprising_.

Quinn wanted things to go perfectly, though, so in between classes, she hunted down wedding magazines and things to show Artie. In one such hunt, she was distracted for a moment. Across the campus, she saw a familiar figure that she hadn’t thought much on—Thomas Areja, her ex-boyfriend.

He had broken up with her halfway through freshman year after they’d dated all through high school. The last time she saw him, he was “experiencing” a girl at a party. He claimed they needed to experience new things in college or they’d live to regret it. She’d been heartbroken and sought to find a replacement for him, showing him that she didn’t need him.

Instead, she hurt herself by collecting a series of loser boyfriends who she didn’t care about and who didn’t care about her while also having mind-blowing sex with Artie. For a long time, she missed him, longed for him, wanted him back. Now, she felt nothing, not even anger upon seeing him.

There he was, running after some girl, trying to grab her hand and Quinn could care less. She would have gone up to him and thanked him for casually, callously, and crassly disposing of her when the glamour of college caught his attention. If he hadn’t, she never would’ve slept with Artie and she doubted they would’ve gotten as close as they were if they hadn’t started having sex. They wouldn’t have spent as much time together if Quinn had a boyfriend back then and she wouldn’t have needed some help in putting herself back together at the time either.

The idea of not having Artie hurt Quinn’s heart. Without Artie, she wouldn’t have this whole, all-encompassing love in her heart. She wouldn’t have the pantheon. Hell, she wouldn’t have good friends like Yvonne or even Vega. Artie hadn’t just brought sunshine into her life, but moonlight and bright stars at night. Artie changed her for the better.

“And I need to get back to her if we’re really going to get married sometime this year,” Quinn muttered to herself. She turned away from Thomas and moved on. He didn’t matter. 

-8-8-8-8-

“Baby, you home?” Quinn called as she entered the apartment.

“Yeah, I’m in the bedroom. Be right out,” Artie answered. 

Quinn got to the living room just in time to see Artie trotting out in her pajamas, which consisted of teddy bear flannel pants and a tank top. Artie flopped down on the couch and pulled her laptop over from the coffee table.

“Come check this out, Princess. I know you had your heart set on an outdoor ceremony and I wanted to be by the water. I know we can’t do it on a public beach here, but Vega’s dad is gonna let us do it on the lake at his resort,” Artie explained with a grin.

Quinn dropped down next to her and looked on the laptop, which had a picture of said lake. “It looks beautiful… and expensive.”

Artie looked at her. “You’re not serious, right? He’s letting us do it for free, provided it doesn’t take too long. He needs a day, though, so he knows not to book something when we need it.”

Quinn nodded. “Well, what day do you want to do it?”

Artie grinned. “On our anniversary.”

A small smile tugged on Quinn’s lips and she wrapped her arms around one of Artie’s. “You want to get married on our anniversary?”

“Yes. I think it’s only fitting that I vow to love you forever on the day I told you I loved you. Besides, it’s about time I have some ideas for this thing.” Artie moved the laptop onto the coffee table and then pulled Quinn into her lap.

Quinn leaned down and kissed her. “That is so sweet. I love it.”

Artie grinned. “See, I can do some of this marriage stuff, too.”

“Oh, then you can pick flowers with me,” Quinn declared as she went in her bag for bridal magazines.

Artie groaned, carefully placed Quinn back on the sofa, and dramatically slid off of the couch. Quinn laughed, even though that wouldn’t get Artie out of helping. Now, she wouldn’t torture Artie with flowers, but seeing Artie’s reaction was worth it.

“Calm down. Morgan and Yvonne are going to help with the flowers, as will my grandmothers, who have volunteered to hijack this thing. My nana Lois wants her minister to do the ceremony,” Quinn said.

“What’s he gonna do, drive out here with her?” Artie asked, her eyebrows drawing a little closer together. She crawled back onto the couch and Quinn wasted no time snuggling back into her.

Quinn shrugged. “Maybe. She’s been going to that church for her whole life and has known the minister for pretty much that long considering his father was a deacon there or something. If she can get him to agree, are you okay with that?”

“That’s fine. It’s not like I’ve been going to church all of my life to have a minister on tap like that,” Artie replied.

“You go to church on occasion and you’re hard to forget,” Quinn pointed out.

“Yeah, but not in a way that makes ministers comfortable. Or even people in the church, actually. Hell, every time I go to church, I get more stares and whispers than anywhere else. Actually, I think at one point, the pastor there was trying to talk my mother to send me to Jesus camp or something.”

Quinn laughed. “Jesus camp? Seriously?”

“I don’t know what the hell it was. Something to save my gay soul or get me to act like a girl or something. I dunno. But, you can imagine, stuff like that scared me away from church for a while.”

“When was this?”

“I dunno. I think when I was like thirteen or something. My mother brushed him off. She never cared about my gender issues. The gay thing… it was only an issue when we were arguing. Anyway, do you want to give your grandmother’s free reign of planning this thing? I know you have your heart set on things.”

Quinn shook her head. “I don’t really have my heart set on anything beyond marrying you. But, I don’t think I’d mind my grandmothers taking over.”

“You should focus on your classes and I’m sure they’d run everything by you before making it final,” Artie said.

Quinn nodded. It probably would be a good idea to let her grandmothers do the heavy lifting. She did want to finish school strong. Morgan and Yvonne wouldn’t mind as long as they got to help her pick dresses. Her grandmothers would love to do this, anyway, needing her to see how much they supported this union. So, she’d call them and hand them the reins.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: graduations.


	56. Foregone Conclusion

56: Foregone Conclusion

Artie still wasn’t sure how the hell she managed to get her psychology master’s degree in a year while also being a good enough girlfriend to get Quinn to agree to marry her. It seemed like such a tall order and, yet, here she was walking across the stage again, receiving a diploma.

Oddly enough, proving again that her graduating was not really a milestone, her family wasn’t in the audience. They were all watching Quinn. Artie wished she had done the same thing, but Quinn was at the general undergraduate ceremony. There was still the ceremony for her major, so Artie would be able to see that one.

As she stepped off the stage, a strange sight struck her. Quinn’s grandparents were on the side, waving at her. She wondered why they were there, but wouldn’t find out until the ceremony was over. She quickly pushed her way over to them as soon as she could.

“Not that this isn’t cool and all, but what are you guys doing here?” Artie asked with a grin.

“First off, give us hugs,” Babs ordered with a smile of her own, opening her arms to Artie. 

Artie chuckled, but she did as ordered, hugging Babs and then Lois. She’d seen a lot more of them after their first meetings and she was certain every time they went out of their way to show that they liked her. She wasn’t sure why, but she was glad they did. She still wasn’t quite sure if it was sincere or not, but she would take it.  _Of course, if it wasn’t sincere, they probably wouldn’t have okayed me to marry Quinn_. 

“And, as for what we’re doing here, we want to see our granddaughter graduate,” Roger stated, clapping her on the back as they shook hands. She imagined him leaving handprints on the back of her gold-colored gown. Sometimes, she thought he did that just to let her know he was strong, too.

“And yet here you are at my graduation,” Artie pointed out. She decided against saying how meaningless her graduation was, having a feeling they wouldn’t understand.

“Like we said, see our granddaughter graduate. Or do you prefer grandson?” Cliff joked as he clapped her on the back as well.

Artie felt her cheeks heat up. He had actually made her blush. She couldn’t believe it. He was comfortable with her, not offended.

“I’ll go with whichever,” she answered.  _Okay, maybe they are sincere_.

“This is an amazing thing you did, an amazing thing you’re doing,” Lois said.

Artie shook her head. “This is the logical conclusion in going to school.” For her, being congratulated on this was like being congratulated on waking up in the morning. 

They all just chuckled. Artie guessed they didn’t share her grandparents’ philosophy in school. Of course, graduating wasn’t really a conclusion since life was about learning new things. Instead of getting into that, she decided to lead them to Quinn and her family. They made a detour to buy things to give Quinn. Artie was done first.

“Go, we’ll meet you over there as soon as we buy out the whole stand,” Babs remarked as they stood before the little vendor peddling flowers, balloons, and bears congratulating the graduates.

Artie nodded and trotted off, arriving just in time to hear her own grandmother looking for her. She joined her family and scared off Quinn’s former boyfriend. She couldn’t believe he was actually sniffing after Quinn, like she actually would wait for him to go wild in college and then just go back to him. _Does he really think that much of himself or that little of her?_ Of course, the answer didn’t matter. He was a little weasel and if they never saw him again, it would be too soon.

Once they got everyone together, Artie suggested lunch. Morgan, who was decked out in a purple gown just like Quinn, wouldn’t be joining them as she had her own large family to join, but Morgan invited them to a cookout at her parents’ house over the weekend. Of course, Quinn and Yvonne agreed. The friends hugged Morgan before she left with her family. 

“Call me, so we can hammer out any final wedding details,” Morgan told Quinn.

“Of course,” Quinn answered. Artie imagined those calls would be long, even though the only thing left about the wedding beyond the wedding itself was the setup and individual preparations.

Before the Brenners’ and their friends left, Quinn’s grandparents finally showed up and it looked like they had, indeed, brought out the graduation stand. Tia looked highly pissed over that, but she didn’t say anything. 

“Oh, my god! I didn’t think you’d be able to make it!” Quinn cheered while throwing herself into her grandmothers waiting arms. Her grandfathers joined in the group hug.

“We wanted to surprise you,” Lois said. 

“This is an awesome surprise.” Quinn grinned, actually bouncing up and down.

Artie loved seeing Quinn so happy. She hoped Quinn was as happy when she walked down the aisle in a couple of weeks.  _Wow, a couple of weeks_. It seemed like she had just proposed, but that was six months ago. It also seemed like a whole different lifetime before she was with Quinn, but that was only two years ago. She felt like her past self was poorer for not having Quinn sooner.  _But, that just means my future is richer than ever_.

“Can we get pizza?” Diana asked, running to take Artie’s hand. 

Artie laughed. “Piglet, we’ll get pizza when you graduate, okay?” 

Diana pouted. “I don’t glad-ulate for a long time, though.”

“You graduate just after the wedding. We’ll have pizza then,” Artie promised, picking up her youngest sister. She wasted no time putting her cap on the kindergartener. She ignored the smiles everyone gave her.

“So, where are we off to?” the twins asked.

“Quinn, where do you want to go? It’s your graduation,” Artie pointed out.

Quinn laughed. “I do believe you and Vega just graduated as well.”

Artie waved her off. “We don’t matter.” 

“What? I do matter,” Vega declared, holding her head high. Her cap fell off and Yvonne caught it. She placed it on Juno’s head for safekeeping. Juno grinned and held onto the cap. Tia looked upset for about a second before Quinn’s cap was on her head. Tia grinned at Quinn.

“Yes, it’s not everyday my only daughter graduates with a business degree,” Mahmoud said, encouraging Vega. He smiled at her and she smiled back, blushing ever so slightly. 

“Hey!” Yvonne took exception to that.

“Well, maybe if Vega asked someone to marry her, I wouldn’t have the only daughter to worry about,” Mahmoud remarked. They should’ve seen that coming. Vega frowned.

“Oh, sneak attack on you,” Artie declared and punched Vega in the shoulder. 

“Shut it,” Vega growled and punched her right back.

Artie chuckled and smirked. Yvonne calmed Vega down with a kiss to her cheek. They made their way to the parking lot and then decided on where to eat. They’d go to a restaurant close to home. 

-8-8-8-8-

The restaurant they decided on wasn’t fancy. It was just a family style place, perfect for them since they had two kids under the age of ten with them. Quinn hung back for a second, wanting some time alone with her grandparents. Her grandparents were busy watching Artie ordering the twins to leave Tia alone while Diana played around with Artie’s graduation cap.

“It amazes me to see her with her sisters,” Lois commented. 

“She’s good with them, even when she’s disciplining them,” Babs said with a nod.

Roger nodded. “You think she’ll be a good dad?” he asked Quinn. 

Quinn glanced over at the Brenners and smiled. “She already is a good dad.”

“So, you see yourself with kids with her?” Cliff inquired.

“I do. Maybe one. No more than two, no matter what she argues. We have to talk about it. I wanted to thank you guys for encouraging her and giving her permission to marry me when she asked. Also, thanks for planning so much of the wedding,” Quinn said. 

“It was our pleasure,” Lois and Babs chimed in simultaneously.

“We appreciate it,” Quinn assured them. 

Roger put his hand on Quinn’s shoulder. “Don’t mention it, kiddo. You’re happy and you’re doing well. You just graduated. You’re going back to school in the fall. You’re trying to break into writing. You’re not hurting anybody and you’re surrounded by people who love you and support you. You make it easy to want to do things for you.” 

Quinn could only wonder why their kids didn’t think the same. But, then again, she didn’t think the same way her parents did, so maybe upbringing didn’t have anything to do with it. Either way, she was happy that her grandparents not only wanted to celebrate her graduation with her, but also her marriage to Artie. 

“Come on, let’s sit down. The pantheon can get a little wild when they’re hungry,” Quinn remarked with a warm smile.

“It’s cute how you like her sisters,” Babs commented.

Quinn didn’t deny the charges, but she could feel her cheeks warm up. They had a fairly long table for their party and Quinn had to move Juno in order to sit next to Artie. Once she had Juno, the child didn’t want to go, so she ended up sitting in Quinn’s lap. Tia sat shoulder-to-shoulder with Quinn and grinned. 

Quinn couldn’t help laughing throughout lunch because of how her grandparents tried to keep up with the Brenner family in terms of ordering. Everyone else knew that with Artie, Vega, and the twins at the table, meals and drinks needed to be ordered at the same time or else there’d be an endless supply of appetizers while waiting for meals and no one could afford that. Her grandparents weren’t sure what they wanted to eat at first, but managed to order with everyone else.

“Hey, pass the chicken fingers,” Aphrodite asked when the appetizers arrived.

“You’re currently eating buffalo wings,” Vega replied.

“And you’re shoving mozzarella sticks in your mouth, but you’re still hogging the chicken fingers. Pass those,” Aphrodite requested, finishing off her hot wing. Venus sat next her, seeing the buffalo wings by her twin while eating a pile of nachos. 

“I can’t believe you all are eating that,” Quinn said, even though she could. “And you’re the worst of the bunch,” she said to Artie, who was eating a giant plate of chili cheese fries.

“I’m hungry,” Artie said, as if that made it all right. 

“And you’re giving that mess to Piglet?” Quinn shook her head as Artie gave Diana a partially covered fry. When Artie attempted to do it again, Quinn smacked her hand away. “Stop that. You’ll spoil her appetite.”

“Yes, cut it out,” Anna ordered. 

Artie pouted for a moment, but stopped feeding Diana junk. Quinn’s grandparents were amazed that all the appetizers were gone within minutes, split mostly between Artie, the twins, Vega, and Tia. Her grandparents were further shocked when those people not only finished their meals, but helped finish off Diana’s, Juno’s, Yvonne’s, Quinn’s, and Anna’s meals. Once the bill was settled up, everyone went out to the parking lot, climbing into their respective vehicles. Quinn stood alone with her grandparents again.

“I’m glad you guys all came,” Quinn grinned.

“We wouldn’t miss you graduating for the world, silly girl,” Cliff said. 

“We’ll see you again soon. We’ll get here a few days before the wedding to make sure everything goes right,” Babs informed her.

“I look forward to it,” Quinn replied. 

“Until then…” Lois waved Artie over. Artie came and put an arm around Quinn’s waist. Lois poked Artie in the chest. “You make sure you take good care of our granddaughter.”

A lopsided grin took over Artie’s face. “You don’t have to tell me twice. She’s too precious for me to do anything else.”

Quinn’s grandparents smiled. Her grandfathers shook Artie’s hand while her grandmothers hugged Artie. All of her grandparents hugged Quinn before climbing into their cars. Artie pulled Quinn close.

“They’re as awesome as you always said,” Artie admitted.

Quinn only smiled. She was glad Artie finally got that and she was happy that Artie understood her grandparents didn’t hate her. 

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: the wedding.


	57. I Do

57: I Do 

Quinn couldn’t believe she was about to get married. It seemed surreal, but she couldn’t wait to walk down “the aisle,” which was a long carpet outside in front of the lake on Mahmoud Nasri’s resort. She couldn’t believe he actually let them do this for free. While he always referred to Vega as his only daughter, Quinn couldn’t help thinking that he saw Artie as the same, or maybe his only son. She wasn’t quite so sure.

“Hey, Quinn, you ready for your makeup?” Yvonne inquired through the door. Along with giving up the location of the wedding, Mahmoud allowed them to use an empty room to prepare for the wedding.

“I am,” Quinn replied.

Yvonne entered, her hair done perfectly in drop curls with highlights. She hadn’t put on her bridesmaid dress yet. Morgan came in behind her, hair just as perfect. She also wasn’t wearing her dress yet. They’d help Quinn with her makeup first.

“Did either of you see Artie this morning?” Quinn asked. She spent the night in this hotel room at the insistence of her grandmothers. It was tradition for the bride and groom to not see each other before the wedding apparently.

“Vega’s got her. They’re watching baseball or something. Artie’s fine,” Yvonne assured her.

“She’s not nervous?” Quinn asked.

“Of course she is, but she’s hiding it well,” Morgan remarked. That was expected.

“Where are my grandmothers? Are they staying out of trouble?”

“They’re putting the final touches on everything. You just sit here and let us make you look more beautiful than you already do and you walk down that aisle to leave Artie breathless, okay?” Morgan said with a grin.

Quinn nodded and tried her best to not think about the wedding. Artie would be waiting for her and they’d say their vows and they’d be married. Nothing would go wrong.  _Nothing’s going to go wrong. This will be the perfect day_. She didn’t truly believe that until she was almost done preparing and there was another knock at the door. It was Venus, who looked as lovely as everyone else with wonderful hair done in curls and perfect makeup.

“Wow, Quinn, you look beautiful,” Venus commented, staring at Quinn in her wedding dress. 

Quinn smiled, looking at Venus from the mirror she was standing in front of. She was in awe of her wedding dress, but she wasn’t sure if it was because she loved the dress or simply because it was  _her_  wedding dress. It was strapless and bone white with a short train and silver flower and leaf designs along the bodice and halfway down the dress. A purple sash hung around her waist.

“Thanks,” Quinn replied. 

Venus stepped deeper into the room, careful of her lilac bridesmaid dress. She moved in her high heels with ease, even though she didn’t make it a point to wear high heels often. There was a slim jewelry case in her hand and she presented it to Quinn. Quinn arched an eyebrow.

“Artie wanted you to have this for your ‘something new,’“ Venus explained.

Quinn could only wonder what Artie had done and was in for the surprise of her life when she opened the case. Inside, there was a tiara and a note: every princess deserves a crown. Tears stung her eyes, but she managed to keep them at bay. She didn’t want to ruin the makeup that Yvonne and Morgan worked so hard on.

“Wow. Did you know…?” Quinn couldn’t even get the question out. She doubted Artie would’ve told any one of her sisters about the tiara because they couldn’t keep a secret. 

Venus smiled. “I taught Artie everything she knows. Lemme put it on you.”

Quinn only nodded. Venus took the tiara and looked at it for a moment before easing it onto Quinn’s head, very careful of Quinn’s long, curled brunette hair. She had highlights put in for the wedding. For some reason, for a very brief moment, the tiara felt heavy, like it weighed her down, but the feeling was gone in an instant. Those tears were threatening to spill out again.

“She really does think of you as a princess,” Venus said. 

“I know,” Quinn whispered. The thought itself filled her with more love and affection for Artie, which threatened to overflow. She was going to have a hell of a time keeping her tears at bay. She couldn’t wait to stand before family and friends and let the world know just how she felt about Artie.

“She’s so happy to have you in her life. Hell, we all are,” Venus said. 

Quinn sniffled. “Don’t make me cry, Venus. Yvonne and Morgan will kill you if you make me cry and ruin my makeup.”

Venus laughed. “Sorry. I just wanted you to know. We’re all happy about this. We love you, all of us.” 

“I love all of you, too,” Quinn replied with a smile.

“How’s it going in here?” Babs asked as she and Lois entered. They stopped dead in their tracks and their eyes went wide when they saw Quinn, making her cheeks burn. 

“Oh, god, baby, you look so beautiful. The tiara is a nice touch,” Lois said, reaching out to run a finger over it.

“You really do look like a princess,” Babs added with her own teary smile. 

Quinn just smiled at them. They hugged her tightly, as if needing to physically express the joy they felt right now, and she returned the embrace. There were those tears again, but taking a deep breath helped keep them in. Her grandmothers did the same for probably the same reason.

“So, everyone’s seated and waiting for you. Tori asked us to give you something blue. It’s weird, but she said you’d understand,” Lois reported and she held up a blue broach, which looked like a teddy bear. 

Quinn tapped her fingers against the bear and smiled. She put it in the middle of her sash. It was a bright blue, so it stood out in the purple cloth. Truthfully, it clashed horribly, but Quinn loved it just the same.

“Are you sure you want to wear that? It doesn’t go,” Babs pointed out. “I have something blue that would fit much better.” 

Quinn shook her head. “No, it has to be this.”

Babs arched an eyebrow. “Why?” 

“Teddy bears are Artie’s spirit animal,” Venus joked.

Quinn couldn’t help laughing. She put that down in her mental notepad. She needed to say that to Artie soon, maybe when they have their first dance together. But, first, she needed to get married to that handsome hunk of cuddly teddy bear.

“You still need something old,” Venus pointed out. 

Babs waved it off. “Your grandfather actually took care of that. He gave Artie his watch.”

Venus’ forehead wrinkled. “But, shouldn’t Quinn have the watch?”

“She will, when she takes Artie’s hand,” Babs answered with a smile. Quinn smiled as well. She thought it was awesome that her grandfather gave Artie something, again showing how much they supported the union.

“Are we ready?” Lois asked. 

“I think so,” Quinn replied. 

So, they all went out in the fresh air, which was thick from some humidity. It was also hot, but they were all willing to bear with it. The wedding was small. There were almost as many bridesmaids and “groomsmen” as there were people in the audience. There were the grandparents, Artie’s mother, Vega’s father, Yvonne’s family, and Morgan’s family, who were well acquainted with Quinn. They sat on folding chairs set up along the grass, not far from the massive lake at Mahmoud’s resort. A pedestal and podium stood a few feet from the audience with an elegant white arch over it.

Added to the expected crowd, the twins decided to bring their “plus ones.” Artie had met them already, so she wouldn’t freak out during the wedding. Quinn found both young people to be pleasant. Aphrodite’s “friend,” Charlie, was all energy and short, spiked blond hair. She smiled at everything and tried to be involved, but in a good way. She and Aphrodite didn’t say they were together, and maybe they weren’t, but they hung out a lot from what Quinn could tell. 

The same could be said of Venus and her “friend,” Tracy. Tracy was a quiet boy, trim and surprisingly didn’t play baseball. Artie didn’t think the relationship would last long, but didn’t explain why. Quinn wasn’t sure. Venus definitely liked talking about Tracey when she could fit him in a conversation. Quinn just hoped both pairs the best.

The music was actually provided by Artie’s iPod, which Quinn requested. Artie’s music was one of the first things to bring them closer and she wanted that feeling today. Birds sang out, but Quinn doubted they would be a problem when the music began. 

The music started, some soft, alternate rock, and the wedding party began moving. Vega, who was the “best man,” was dressed in a tux with a white vest and black tie, walked out with Morgan, who was the maid of honor, dressed in her lilac bridesmaid dress. Aphrodite, also dressed in a tux, walked with Venus. Tia, who grinned all the way down the walkway, and looked very cute in her tux, escorted Yvonne. Juno and Diana were the last. Quinn couldn’t decide who was cuter, Juno in her dress or Diana in a little tux. She hoped the wedding photographer got tons of pictures of all of them, even though they would take plenty after the wedding.

The music changed and Quinn was ready to walk down the aisle, which was red carpet leading to the pedestal. Both of her grandfathers flanked her, wanting to give her away. She was flattered by that and filled with glee over them until she finally saw Artie. After that, Artie was all she could see, think of, and focus on.

Artie waited for her at the end of the walk with the sparkling lake water at her back, making her look like some wonderful dream. Standing tall in a tuxedo that fit her like a glove with its purple vest and black tie, Artie locked eyes with Quinn. Those lovely, soft russet eyes shined, possibly with tears. A smile tugged on Artie’s lips, but the way she puffed out her chest, Quinn knew Artie wanted to grin. She did grin when Quinn stood before her.

“Take good care of her,” Cliff whispered, patting Artie on the arm. 

Artie, not taking her eyes off of Quinn, nodded. Cliff and Roger sat down in the audience. The music was turned off and the minister, an old friend of Lois’, began the ceremony. Quinn couldn’t help reaching out, holding onto Artie’s hand, seeing her grandfather’s watch hanging from Artie’s wrist, and feeling like she was filled to the brim with love. Artie gave her fingers a little squeeze and Quinn sobbed, having to cover her mouth to keep it together. Artie smiled at her.

“I’ve been told the couple has written their own vows, so Artie, if you would,” the minister said.

Smiling, Artie nodded and gazed down at Quinn with so much love in her eyes that it made Quinn’s knees weak. “Quinn, my beautiful princess, words can’t express what I feel for you. I hope that you have some understanding from looks and actions because words will never cover it. You sneaked into my life, subtle and sweet, like a perfect fragrance. You lingered inside of me, even when you were gone. You breathed new, wonderful life into me and I promise to let you know that for the rest of our lives with words, looks, and actions. You changed my world for the better, changed me for the better, and showed me possibilities I never fathomed existed. I will do my best to do the same for you, now and forever. I will treat you like the princess you are, shower you in affection, adore you more and more each day, and worship the ground you walk on for you are truly a gift from the heavens. You are the goddess between us.”

And the dam broke. The makeup ran as tears spilled out of Quinn’s eyes. She opened her mouth, needing to say her vows, but nothing came out. She wanted this to be perfect, to be as strong as Artie had just been, and to sound as sure as she felt underneath the happy nervousness fluttering in her stomach. But, her voice wouldn’t cooperate. Artie brought Quinn’s hand up and kissed her fingers. 

“Take your time, love,” Artie whispered with a smile.

Quinn nodded and gave Artie a watery smile. Her breath hitched a couple of times before she could even think to speak. In that time, she felt like she got lost in Artie’s gaze and found in Artie’s touch. 

Taking one more breath, Quinn’s words started out with a tremble. “My dear love, Artemis, you truly are the goddess of the hunt. You captured me with the greatest of bait, being yourself. You are a wonder of wonders. There are times, like now, when I feel lost, trapped in some deep, thick dark woods, and you are the way out. You are my true north, my life jacket in rough waters, my parachute in a vast sky. I want to make a life with you, a home with you, a family with you, and have my legacy live on connected to you. You’ve given me things, precious things that most people take for granted, and I have no way of repaying you, for surely my love can’t balance the weight, but I will try and try and try. I will love you with all my heart past the end of days. I will be there for you long after the world has stopped spinning. I will cherish you, even when there is nothing left of this universe. In my heart, there will always be you.”

Artie smiled and kissed Quinn’s fingers once more. The minister called for the rings. Vega handed Artie the ring for Quinn and Morgan gave Quinn the ring for Artie. The couple stared at each other and they both took deep breaths. They had long ago decided to put the rings on at the same time, going with the fact that they declared love for each other at roughly the same time. They even did the “with this ring, I thee wed…” at the same time as they slipped the rings on. 

“I now pronounce you married,” the minister declared. “You may kiss.”

They didn’t need to be told twice. Artie leaned down and took Quinn into her arms before their lips met in a tender embrace. The audience cheered.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: the reception, including a speech by Vega.


	58. That Feeling

58: That Feeling 

The reception was just as small as the wedding and was held in a small hall in the resort. Artie had actually played in the room as a child, her and Vega engaging in a little “beat up” tag with just the two of them, so really just wrestling, and “sword fighting” with homemade wooden swords. They usually held children’s parties in it, but here she was sitting with her new wife and having their wedding reception. Their wedding reception. She sat up a little taller, holding her chin a little higher.

Quinn was by her side, opting to stay in her wedding dress. They had taken dozens of pictures before the reception, the wedding photographer making sure they got their money’s worth. Quinn insisted Artie take almost as many pictures with her sisters as she did with her bride. She knew Quinn was bowled over by the cuteness of Diana and Tia in tuxedos and Juno in her little dress.

There were to be speeches as soon as everyone filed in. Artie wasn’t worried. Vega would stand up and do what she did, tell the truth. Hopefully, she wouldn’t do it in the most embarrassing way possible. She wasn’t sure who would speak after that. Maybe her grandparents, maybe one of the twins, maybe even her mother or Yvonne. She would be honored by anyone who would. She loved them all and they loved her back, loved her back enough to celebrate this amazing moment with her. This great day, rivaled only by the birth of her namesake. 

“You’re smiling,” Quinn commented.

“Of course I am. I just got married,” Artie remarked.

“What are you thinking about?”

“How this great day sits up there high with the greatest day of my life.”

Quinn craned an eyebrow. “What day is that?” 

“The birth of the Piglet.”

“Tell me about it. As quickly as you can,” Quinn requested, a soft look in her eyes. 

“There was so much going on, but the short of it is that I was so worried about her. She was premature. She made it to thirty-five weeks, I believe. There was so much going on, but when I saw her… I don’t know. The world stopped. Everything stopped and it was just me and her. The same thing just happened with you. When we stood up there in front of everyone, the world stopped again and it was incredible,” Artie explained as best she could. It really was too much to discuss right now, but they had the rest of their lives to talk about it.

Quinn smiled. “I’ll take it as the greatest compliment that this day is up there with the Piglet’s birth.” 

For a moment, Artie’s mind drifted back to the birth of Diana. Her mother’s stupid boyfriend beating the snot out of her the day before possibly induced Diana’s labor. Artie had fumed, vowed a slow and painful death for the man if her mother or her sister had any complications and there were some hiccups. Diana was upside down, her lungs underdeveloped, and her kidneys didn’t work right away. Artie had been all fire and hatred, unable to think about anything beyond strangling that man with her bare hands, but the thoughts all faded when she saw Diana. The world faded and everything was calm. It wasn’t something she’d been used to then. Something about that tiny body made everything all right, brought light to the world, and made everything shine. Diana brought a calmness to her that she wasn’t used to. The more Diana grew, the stronger these powers became. Quinn now shared these same powers.

“Are you okay?” Quinn asked, taking Artie’s hand. 

Artie smiled. “Beyond okay. Why’d you ask?”

“Because you’ve been staring at the floor for a full minute. What’s going through your mind now?”

“You, of course. You and your superpowers.” 

Eyes going wide, Quinn laughed. “I have superpowers now?”

“Yes, brilliant ones. You make the sunrise everyday in my world. You bring calm to the storm inside of me. You make light in the darkness. You’re so full of superpowers,” Artie explained as she leaned down to give Quinn a kiss. 

“Hey, hey, hey, you’ll get to that soon enough!” Vega called, grabbing a microphone. “First, I get to make my speech, you know?” She reached for a flute of champagne.

Artie laughed because she could only wonder what hard truth would come out of Vega’s mouth. Most of the guests would just get it, but Quinn’s grandparents and Morgan’s family probably would think it was awful. Artie didn’t care. She wanted to see her “brother” take it and run with it.

“Good afternoon, everyone. For those of you who don’t know me, I am Vega Nasri and I’m Artie’s brother. I’ve known her for almost all of our lives and she’s always been special, in a good way usually. She selfless to an almost frightening degree and I’ve seen her teenage self do things most adults couldn’t even dream of. I can’t even begin to imagine what she as an adult will do, but I know it’ll be amazing. She’s already proven that today.

“She can carry the weight of the world on those broad shoulders and punch Atlas in the face for being a wuss while she does it. She does it for the people she loves. But, for all of that, I knew something was missing. Artie didn’t believe in romantic love for a variety of reasons and didn’t even know she had a void inside of her until Quinn dropped in on her life. Quinn was so sneaky with her invasion into Artie’s heart, to the point Artie didn’t even realize they were in a relationship until Quinn spelled it out for her. This was just what Artie needed, though. She needed something quiet, subtle, and warm. Something she wouldn’t notice until it was too late because before Quinn, Artie would’ve dismissed these feelings and moved on to another conquest, if only to get the taste out of her mouth. Instead, by the time she realized what was happening, Quinn was already the oxygen she breathed and how does one live without oxygen?

“Quinn, you might not realize it because Artie’s the one with the big muscles and always flexing, but you’re just as strong as she is. She holds up the world, but she’s standing on your shoulders now. You’re lifting her up, showing her the heavens. There are endless possibilities between the two of you and that’s truly amazing. I’m sure you’ll make it a point to explore as many of those possibilities as you can together, holding each other up, protecting each other, and loving each other. I hope all of your journeys turn out as wonderful and as magical as your first one did, that path of love you forged together,” Vega held up her glass.

Artie squeezed Quinn’s hand as they took a sip from their champagne glasses. Tears were in Quinn’s eyes again and she was obviously trying to keep them in, not wanting to ruin her makeup any more than she had already. Artie smiled because it seemed silly to her. Quinn was just as beautiful in ruined makeup as she always was.

Morgan stood up next and laughed. “How can I top that? I didn’t know Miss Vega-no-smile actually had a way with words.” This got laughs from the audience that knew Vega while Vega rolled her eyes. “Quinn might not tell you, but she’s always wanted to get married. While she never had a straight up plan, it was always in the cards. I don’t think she considered it would be right after college, but definitely after school and possibly after she got a good job. But, this was predictable and in this case predictable is good because Artie is good for Quinn. Even when they were ‘just friends.’“ Morgan made quote marks with her fingers. “Artie looked out for Quinn in every way possible and Quinn looked out for Artie in the same way. You could see there was something special and even if they didn’t realize it, their hearts recognized it. What they did as ‘friends’ is more than most people do with spouses. So, again, this was predictable. This is where their hearts have led them. May their hearts remain as one.” She raised the glass. Everyone drank to that.

Mahmoud stood next. “I just want to say that I wish this couple all of the happiness in this life and may they be blessed with all they deserve. May we all follow their example.” He raised the glass and there were mumbles of agreements as everyone drank. 

“Man of few words,” Artie whispered to Quinn.

“Man of not-so-subtle hints,” Quinn snickered, nodding toward Mahmoud as he patted Vega on the back. 

“He wants her to have a family, more than what they have,” Artie replied.

“You mean more than one kid?” 

Artie nodded. “More than one kid and for that kid to have a mother.”

“What happened to her mother? Why didn’t he remarry?” Quinn asked curiously. 

“She died, breast cancer at twenty-five. I never knew her. Hell, Vega never really knew her. Her mother died when she was one. I don’t know why he never remarried, but I think it’s just because he never loved someone the way he loved her. First love, first heartbreak.” 

Quinn inhaled sharply and held Artie’s hand tightly. “Please…” she cut herself off, surely about to ask for the impossible.

Artie smiled and leaned down for another kiss. “I’ll try not to.” 

Artie planned to live a long life with this woman by her side. The reception moved on after Anna actually stood up and simply wished them the best. She didn’t need to say more, but the five simple words filled Artie with light and laughter. Quinn sniffled a little, still doing her best to hold in tears.

They had their first dance as a married couple and Artie was so nervous that she stepped on Quinn’s feet twice. Quinn only laughed, even though Artie knew her feet had to be hurting in those lovely heels. She held Quinn close and breathed in her scent. 

“Vega was right,” Artie whispered.

“About?” 

“You are oxygen, Princess. Just another one of your many superpowers.” 

Quinn laughed and rested her head against Artie’s shoulder. Artie made sure not to step on her feet again. This was like being in a dream, floating on a cloud, and soaring at the same time. She kept moving when the music stopped and Quinn didn’t say anything.

“Hey, are you going to throw the bouquet or what?” Venus called, knocking the couple back down to Earth. 

Quinn laughed. “I guess I should get to it.”

Artie nodded and grinned. They finally broke apart and Artie stepped away. Venus handed Quinn her flowers, white and light purple roses with some lilacs as an accent. A crowd of ladies gathered as Quinn turned her back to them. Artie looked through the crowd, seeing Venus there and Yvonne. She didn’t know what to think when her grandmother practically pushed her mother into the fray.

Artie watched as Quinn took a deep breath before she tossed the flowers over her head. Vega came up next to her, her face tense. Artie shook her head. 

“Relax. What are the odds of little old Tega catching the damn thing with Venus’ long arms out there? Besides, it’s not binding,” Artie pointed out.

“You’re only saying that because Venus is out there,” Vega remarked. 

Artie shrugged. “Well, if it was binding, I’d definitely snatch her ass off the floor. Not that I think she and Tracy would last longer than this reception.”

Vega chuckled and nodded. “Yeah, I’m surprised she hasn’t bench pressed him yet.” 

Artie scoffed. “Hell, I might do that. I’m happy he’s a good kid, though. But, I don’t care that Venus is out there. It’s just a bit of fun, so calm down about it.”

Vega shrugged as well, but Artie didn’t miss the relieved sigh as the bouquet sailed over Yvonne’s reaching hands. Vega’s shoulders actually sagged with relief. Artie decided not to address that, not wanting to bum Vega out. Besides, she had other things on her mind. She had to go and throw the garter. 

It seemed too intimate for an audience, especially one that had her sisters in it, but Artie still managed to take the garter off of Quinn. As tempting as it was to use her teeth, she managed to stay under control. There were grandparents there, after all! This was the most PG way she had ever removed anything from Quinn, but she had to caress the most gorgeous leg she had ever seen, earning giggles from Quinn.

Artie didn’t really wait for a crowd to form like Quinn did. She turned around and flung the garter and died of laughter when she saw Vega caught it. Well, it more landed on her head, but that had to be a sign. Of course, Vega didn’t appear amused. 

“You did that on purpose,” Vega hissed, glaring at Artie.

“I wasn’t even looking!” Besides, how could she do something so hilarious and awesome on purpose? “It was God’s will.”

“You are so fucking lucky I can’t kill you on your wedding day,” Vega snarled.

Artie was sure that was the only thing saving her. Quinn came and took her head as they watched Vega put the garter on the woman who caught the bouquet. Quinn laughed.

“I have never seen someone quite so pissed to be putting a garter on someone,” Quinn remarked.

“Vega’s a sourpuss. Let’s not let that spoil the day,” Artie declared, but she did glance at Yvonne. She wanted to make sure her friend was all right. Yvonne appeared tense. “Let’s go dance with Tega!” 

Artie pulled Quinn off and grabbed up Yvonne. It was a celebration. They should all be happy, if only for the day. 

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: the end, also known as the honeymoon.


	59. Forever, Always

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains two women engaged in acts of physical intimacy. Consider it one for the road.

59: Forever, Always

The smell of the sea almost overpowered the smell of Quinn when Artie woke up, but not quite. They were honeymooning by the beach, so the scent of salt water was everywhere, but the wonderful of aroma of Quinn was just below her nose. Quinn surrounded her in their hotel room and beat the beach off with a gentle caress and a kiss. The beach would never stand a chance. 

“Why aren’t you sleeping?” Quinn asked, her voice a bit scratchy. She handed Quinn a bottle of water from their bedside table.

“I just woke up. I was enjoying holding my wife,” Artie replied with a smile. Quinn was draped on her, bare and delicious. She had her arm around Quinn’s shoulder, holding her in place.

“Wife.” Quinn sighed and smiled, cuddling closer than Artie would have thought possible. “Quinn Brenner.”

“I still can’t believe you changed your name for me.”

“I’m your wife and you’re my family. Besides, there was nothing attached to Matherson, not directly anyway. There’s love and familiarity and family attached to Brenner.”

Artie wanted to stick out her chest, feeling pride in the fact that Quinn carried her name. If they did have children, they’d be Brenners. They’d be the Brenner family.  _We’ll be a great family. The family Quinn deserves_.

“So, what do you want to do now that we’re both up? Should we go to the beach?” Quinn asked.

Artie scoffed. While she loved the beach, she had no plans of stepping out of this hotel room for the four short days they were there. She just wanted to enjoy her wife in every way imaginable, so she kissed Quinn as an answer and was certain Quinn understood the message. Feeling the flick of Quinn’s tongue burned through Artie and she pulled Quinn fully onto her.

Quinn giggled and sat up, rolling her hips against Artie’s stomach. Artie groaned, from the feel and the sight. Quinn on top of her, pale skin on display, pink nipples at attention, dark hair raining down her shoulders, eyes dark with love and desire, was always a vision. Memories of Quinn riding her floated through her mind, making her moan.  _I think we’ll have to repeat that and a bunch of other positions as soon as I actually get out of this bed to get my dick again_. But, there were plenty of other ways to love Quinn without leaving the bed. Artie pressed her hand against Quinn’s stomach and simply ran it up and down, causing Quinn to exhale slowly. 

“I just had you an hour ago. How can I still want you?” Quinn wondered, staring down at Artie.

Artie grinned. “I hope you always still want me. I know I always want you.” She definitely did not need an explanation as to why. 

Quinn leaned down and kissed her long and hard, fueling the blazing fire inside of her body. Artie moved, needing to sit up some, needing to be able to make Quinn’s body sing with passion. Quinn slid down her body as she sat up and she broke the kiss, wanting to kiss something else. Quinn hissed as Artie nipped on her ears and Artie’s hands rolled Quinn’s hips for her, making her grind against Artie.

“Please,” Quinn whispered, gripping Artie’s hair with one hand. The slight pull made Artie hiss. 

Artie nodded, moving her lips down Quinn’s neck and easing her fingers to Quinn’s inner thigh. Quinn bucked against her; it felt sinfully good. Taking a straining nipple into her mouth, Artie pushed into Quinn, who was literally dripping, taking two fingers with ease. Quinn moaned and put her hands on Artie’s shoulders, anchoring them together. Quinn moved with Artie, filling the room with her sweet scent and breathy whimpers.

“You’re so beautiful, Princess,” Artie whispered, kissing Quinn’s flushed neck. She loved the way Quinn’s body hugged her fingers and pulsed for her.

“Love you,” Quinn replied, tucking her head to kiss Artie properly. 

Artie moaned into the kiss and Quinn moved more frantically against her, chasing what Artie wanted her to desperately catch. Slipping in another finger and getting a sharp, long hiss from Quinn, Artie circled Quinn’s clit with her thumb. Quinn’s hold became tighter and Artie knew she was close, so she moved her along by nibbling her earlobe. Quinn’s body went taut and her nails dug exquisitely into Artie’s shoulders. The mews she made as she came down would never get old to Artie. With her body glistening, Quinn fell against Artie and Artie held her.

“Love you,” Quinn whispered again. 

“I love you, too, Princess.” Artie kissed the top of Quinn’s head and caressed her back.

She could feel Quinn smiling against her chest. Then, Quinn pushed her onto her back and kissed her with fire. Hot lips trailed down her neck and chest. Artie watched the dark head move lower down her and felt hypnotized by it. Quinn did things to her. Everything about Quinn, simple movements, held her total attention. 

“You taste so good, Art,” Quinn said, licking across Artie’s stomach.

Artie grinned. “Not as good as you, I’m sure.”

Quinn smirked and continued her quest. “Be that as it may, I like you.” Her tongue traced the cuts of Artie’s abdomen before traveling upward. 

She ran her tongue over Artie’s breasts before raining kisses down on them. Until Quinn, Artie had never really cared much for her breasts. In fact, she had always been happy they were small and easy to tape down when she was a teen. She never cared for lovers paying them much mind. Quinn seemed to love them and this made Artie appreciate them.

“Why so much attention on parts that don’t matter?” Artie teased, running her hand through Quinn’s hair.

Quinn glanced up at her. “Oh, but they do matter.” She kneaded one small hill. “These were the first parts of you that gave me pause. When you would…” Quinn sighed. “When you fucked me, I’d feel you against my back and it was so… good. It felt so good.” 

Artie’s eyes went wide. This was surprising. “You felt my little boobs on your back and thought it felt good?” She never even thought about her breasts touching Quinn back then, but it was because she never thought about her breasts.

Quinn’s smirk was so sexy that it made Artie’s body quiver. “Very good.” 

“Well, who am I to argue?” Artie grinned.  _If she likes my tits, then whatever. They’re all hers_.

“Now, you’re getting the hang of this married thing, my dear spouse.” 

Artie liked that. She wasn’t the husband, but she wasn’t one to call herself a wife. She was a spouse.

“Yeah, your dear spouse.” Artie smiled and ran her hand through Quinn’s hair once again.

Quinn grinned and then went back to work. She kissed her way down, below Artie’s navel as she parted Artie’s legs. Artie moaned loudly as Quinn’s tongue touched her. Losing a hand in Quinn’s hair, she let loose all sorts of purrs as Quinn lapped at her. Crying out, Artie moved her leg, giving Quinn more room to work. Quinn took it and ran with it, tongue in a rhythm, joined by her fingers.

Artie was certain that all she’d ever need was Quinn’s tongue, but her fingers were an added bonus. Her body embraced two fingers and burned for them. Climbing higher and higher until there was nowhere to go. When she peaked, it was like being in outer space because she couldn’t breath, but she could feel. God, she could feel and it felt like Quinn was everywhere, ecstasy was everywhere. Her wife was everywhere.

The first thing she noticed when she regained the ability to think was Quinn laughing. She rubbed Quinn’s back to get her attention and because she loved Quinn’s back. Quinn looked up and moved up Artie’s body, so they could exchange a kiss. Quinn settled against her. 

“So, am I getting good at that?” Quinn teased.

“Oh, my god!” Artie groaned. “Let it go, woman!”

Quinn chuckled. “Don’t you mean ‘wife’?” 

Artie grinned and she was sure she looked dopey, but she didn’t care. “Yeah, wife. So, Mrs. Brenner, what should we get for dinner?”

“Oh, so, we’re getting up?” 

Artie laughed. “Hell, no! I’m ordering food. Maybe pizza. Want pizza, lovely wife?”

Quinn giggled and nodded. They ordered pizza and took a bath together and then made love again… and again.

-8-8-8-8-

Artie’s phone going off drew her from an exhausted sleep. For a second, she thought it was one of her sisters, but that wasn’t her home ringtone. It was Vega. Quinn muttered and moved against her. She quickly answered so the call wouldn’t disturb her wife. 

“Hey, Vega,” Artie said. There was a long stretch of silence. “Vega?”

“She said yes,” Vega trembling whispered.

Artie sat up. “Wait, what?”

“I asked and she said yes. She said yes,” Vega breathed.

“Oh, my god. I can’t believe you asked,” Artie said. It was insane. She wished she was home now, by Vega’s side, supporting her.

“I can’t believe she said yes. Thank you, Art. You were right.”

“Hey, you can’t always be the right one out of us,” Artie remarked with a chuckle. _Wow, I didn’t think she’d give in so quickly. Wow. Yvonne must be going crazy_.

Vega laughed. “I guess. Enjoy your honeymoon. We’ll talk later.” 

“Yeah. Congratulations. You did the right thing.” She wanted to be encouraging and felt that was the right thing to say. She wasn’t sure when just Vega disconnected the call.

“What was that about?” Quinn asked, her eyes still closed. 

Artie rubbed Quinn’s shoulder and kissed her just because she could. “Vega asked Tega to marry her. Tega said yes.”

Quinn nodded against her neck. “That’s great.” 

“Yes, it is. But, so is this.” Artie hugged her wife close. She’d always hold Quinn close.

The End.

-8-8-8-8-

Thanks for reading, folks. I’m going back to my padded cell. I’ll be back soon. I hope you come back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you wanna see more of my fanfics, they're all at FFN under [StarvingLunatic](https://www.fanfiction.net/~starvinglunatic). If you wanna see some original stories, you can look at FP under [StarvingLunatic](https://www.fictionpress.com/u/576301/).


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